Leonora
by americanhoney139
Summary: It has been ten years since Princess Leonora of Mysteria went missing; ten years since Elena was found at that train station. Now she, and two con men, travel to Paris to pretend she is Princess Leonora. Can Damon and Alaric, two con men, help Elena become the Princess they want her to be, or will she find herself on this journey? Book 1 of Delena Princess Stories
1. Prologue

_There was a time, not very long ago, where we lived in an enchanted world of elegant palaces and grand parties. The year was 1916, and my father, Grayson, was the czar of Mysteria. The supernatural roamed the Earth alongside with the natural, accepted as they were. We were celebrating 300th anniversary of our family's rule of our great kingdom and no star shone brighter than our sweet Leonora, my youngest sister. She begged me not to return to Paris, so I had our family witch make her a special gift, to make our time apart easier._

"For me?" my sweet little sister asks. "Is it a jewelry box, Kat?" Her eyes focus on the small box, turning it this way and that. She has always been a curious little devil, getting into more trouble than my mother and father can deal with sometimes. I've taken care of her for all the years she's been alive, and I feel as if she sees me are a motherly figure more than our mother herself.

"Look, 'Lena," I try to focus my always wandering little sister, pressing something into a small hole in the bottom of the box. Music begins to play and the young girl beams as she looks at me with those sweet doe eyes that resemble my own so well.

"It plays our song!" she squeals and jumps into my arms, not caring about the fact that we are both wearing expensive fabrics and there are other party-goers watching. She's never been one for the spotlight, except when it comes to my eyes.

"You can play it at night before you go to sleep," I say in a soft voice as her nose nuzzles against the skin of my neck. Her brown hair is curled into soft ringlets and they brush against my cheek when she moves. My heart aches to know that we won't be together for much longer before I must return to my duties in Paris. "Pretend it is me singing to you…" The spell the witch put on it actually recorded my voice so that it might bring her some semblance of comfort.

"_On the wind, 'cross the sea_

_Hear this song and remember…_

_Soon you'll be home with me_

_Once upon a December_" the music box sings and I watch as the light of my heart sing softly with my voice.

"Read the top," I instruct her with a small smile as she snuggles closer into my embrace.

"Together… in Paris," Leonora reads. Her face turns toward me and I can feel the gloss of tears before she hugs me again a huge smile on her face. "Really…?" I nod. "Thank you, Katherine!"

_But we could never be together in Paris, for a dark evil surrounded the Palace of Mysteria. His name was Klaus. We all thought he was a good man with great knowledge, but he tricked us. He was power hungry and very dangerous._

"How dare you enter the Mysterian Palace!" Grayson shouts, standing protectively in front of his people. The man standing before us is so different than the one who he looked like before. His skin is sallow, eyes sunken, and there were black marks under his eyes. He looks… dead. And then it hits me like a train wreck… he_ is _dead.

The other man laughs, a cruel vicious sound that made my ears ring. My sister, my little light, looked so scared as she clings to me, her hands fisting the cloth of my dress.

"I will not rest until I see the Bulgarian family is gone forever!" Klaus roars as a chandelier falls from the ceiling to the middle of the ballroom and screams of terror ring out.

_Obsessed with the hatred for my family, Klaus had sold his soul to a vampiric witch for the ability to kill us all. And from that moment we were devoured by flames of unbearable fear. We had to flee our homeland to stay safe from this cruel man._

"Katherine, take the children and escape!" Grayson shouts over the din of the room. I try to herd my younger brother and my little light toward one of the side rooms, from which we can escape. I push my brother ahead of me a try to drag Leonora along with me, but her hand slips out of my hold.

"My music box!" she cries in a small voice, "I have to get it back!" She turns around and I look between my brother, who is old enough to understand the need to get away. A hand suddenly reaches out of the ash and grabs him, yanking him with her. It is the family witch, Emily, who saved him! I give her a nod of thanks before rushing after my sister.

"Leonora!" I scream. I do not want to lose the light of my life, my heart. "Come back!" However, she reaches our shared bedroom to get my gift and I follow her. I can hear people shouting through the panels in the wall before a young hand grabs my own. I look down to see silvery blue eyes looking up at me.

"Thru the servant's quarters!" he screams over the noise. He opens a panel in the wall to reveal and passageway and Leonora already standing in it, shivering. She is looking up at me with big wide eyes, fear making her body tremble. I grab her hand and yank her to me, dropping the music box in our haste to escape. I feel a tear slip down my cheek as I hear the whimper of the young servant boy behind us as he is found.

We flee from the palace, running as fast as we can. Suddenly, a shadow falls across the snow before us and Klaus jumps out, grabbing my little light as she squirms in fear.

"Let me go!" she cries and I feel tears stream down my own cheeks at her pain.

"You cannot escape me now, little girl!" his wicked laugh echoes thru my mind. I grab a pipe lying on the ground and crack the ice he is standing on. I pull my sweet sister into my arms before she can be dragged down with that horrible man.

"Run faster, dear heart!" I scream as we begin to run once again. Once we arrive at the nearest train station, I try to pull my sister toward the train but her small legs are weak from running and the fear makes her fall. I pick her up and carry her in my arms, but she is like deadweight in my arms. "Leonora, now is not the time to play dead." I can hear my own voice shaking as I put her on her feet again. She stumbles after me as she weakly pulls on my hand, trying to keep up with me.

Some stranger reaches out to grab my arm and I'm pulled onto the train by a nice elderly man. I can no longer feel my sister's hand in mine so I turn around. "Leonora!" I shout, reaching my arms out to her. There are tears streaming down her visage and I can feel some on my own cheeks. I can see her struggling to reach my hand as I try to grab her. "Hold onto my hand!" I shout thru my tears.

"Don't let go!" She is sobbing and breathing hard and my heart aches to see her like this. I wish we had never trusted that evil man but now all I can focus on is getting my sister back.

I can feel her hand starting to slip out of mine. Someone grabs the back of my dress so I won't fall off, but I only want my sister. "Leonora!" I cry as I see her begin to slow down. My heart is pounding in my chest as I watch the light of my life collapses to the ground and a small dribble of blood spills from the back of her head. Multiple people have to hold me back so that I don't jump off of the train to join her on the snow. "LEONORA!"

_So many lives were destroyed that night. What had always been was now gone forever. And my Leonora, my beloved sister, my heart and the light of my life - I never saw her again._

**So this is the first chapter of my TVD version of 20th Century Fox's Anastasia. Eventually, it will be part of a series of fairytales with the exception of being with TVD characters. Please read and review!**_  
_

**Mysteria is a country, kind of like Russia in the movie, and it exists in Europe in this story. Let us say that it replaces Russia in this story...  
**

**P.S. I do not own Anastasia or TVD but this _is_ going to stick pretty close to the movie. Please do not write that this is not mine because I know it is and I accept the fact that I don't own it.  
**


	2. Journey to the Past

_**Ten Years Later…**_

Mysteria is a horrible place for the people that live there. Supernatural and natural have been pitted against each other for the right to survive. Everyone is fighting for the right to survive and all of their hope was placed in the reappearance of Princess Leonora. The servant boy that had saved the eldest and youngest princesses has grown up to be a handsome young man. He is considered the bad boy of the royal city, selling what he can find in the palace just to make some money.

"Well, Damon, I've located the theater," a man by the name of Alaric tells him.

"Great, everything is going as planned," Damon's smile is cocky as he spins around to face his companion. "Just think, no more stealing, no more lying." He throws one arm around Alaric's shoulder. "We'll be out of here… you, me, and Princess Leonora."

"Damon, are you really sure this is a good idea?" Always the voice of reason, Alaric pushes the young man away with a scowl on his face. "We could be arrested!"

"_We'll find a girl to play the part… teach her what to say_," Damon sang, running a hand thru his midnight locks. "_Dress her up and take her to Paree_!"

"Damon…" Alaric warns, but the other man is too deep in his fantasy to notice.

"_Imagine the reward her dear old sister will pay_!" the man smirks, licking his lips at the thought of so much money. "_Who else could pull it off but you and me_?"

"_And Mystic City will have something to talk about_!" Alaric joins him as the two men board a trolley car, laughing at the prospect of being filthy rich.

* * *

Meanwhile, in an orphanage just outside the city on the other edge of the woods, an eighteen-year-old Elena is about to begin her journey to go to a new job.

"I got you a job at the fish factory," says the mean old matron of the orphanage with not an ounce of sympathy in her voice. "Just go straight until you see a fork in the road, then—" the older woman begins her instructions until she realizes that Elena is waving to the younger children behind her with a huge smile on her face.

"Bye!" she calls out to all of the children and even those who hadn't known her for long wave goodbye. One even throws a toy teddy bear at her, which she picks up with a huge smile on her face and tucks into the front pocket of her ratty coat.

"Are you even listening to me, young lady?" the woman snaps, her eyes almost black with anger.

"Yes, Miss Isobel," Elena flushes and looks down in embarrassment.

"You have been a pain in my ass ever since you got here," Miss Isobel tells her harshly and Elena's face falls. Her brown hair is tucked into a news boy and some stands are falling into her face. Miss Isobel walks over and uses the ragged scarf around the young brunette's neck to drag her to the gate, almost choking her. "Acting like the Princess of Mysteria instead of the nobody you really are." Elena is used to the harsh words, but that doesn't make them hurt any less. "You got three meals a day, a—"

"Roof over my head," Elena continues, having heard the same lines more than once.

"I wonder how you don't remember anything about your past, but you remember that," Miss Isobel scoffs.

"But I do—" Elena cries, pulling at her necklace.

"Right…" Miss Isobel rolls her eyes and pulls at the necklace, "Together is Paris..." She snarls at the words before pushing the younger girl away from her but maintaining a hold on the scarf. "You want to go there to find your family." Pulling the scarf back to her, she begins to choke Elena as she drags her over to the gate. "Listen, young lady, you need to find your place in this world. In line and in life!" Miss Isobel slams the gate shut behind her, making the metal screech harshly in her ear. "Together is Paris, ha!"

"Be grateful, Elena, sure, grateful to get away!" Elena yells back as the old woman scoffs before slamming the door of the only home she's ever known. "I'm going to be Elena the nobody for the rest of my life!" She stops at the crossroads, where she sees one way pointing to the fish market and her new job, while the other points to Mystic City and a brand new adventure. She turns toward that road, the road of mystery and says, "But if I go the other way… whoever gave me this necklace must have loved me." She stops and chuckles at her foolish behavior. "Wait, me… go to Paris… that's crazy." She looks up at the sky and sighs, shaking her head. "Give me a sign. Something! Anything!"

Just then, a small mutt with matted gray fur jumps out from behind a snow bank and grabs the end of her scarf, which had been securely wrapped around her neck. She watches for a few seconds, baffled, before she chases after it. "Hey, give that back!" she calls after the animal. "I don't have time to play." The dog barks and lets go of the scarf, wagging his tail as his tongue hangs out of his mouth. As soon as she races to get it, the dog grabs the scarf firmly in its teeth and runs again, this time in the direction of Mystic City.

"Great, a dog wants me to go to the city," she rolls her eyes. The dog barks around the scarf and races off again. "Okay, I can take a hint."

There is a magic filling the air as she races after the dog, a small smile on her face as she realizes she is racing of toward her future with a song in her heart and a spring in her step.

"_Heart don't fail me now  
Courage don't desert me  
Don't turn back now that we're here_

_People always say:  
"Life is full of choices"  
No one ever mentions… fear_

_Or how the world can seem so vast  
On a journey to the past_

Somewhere down this road  
I know someone's waiting  
Years of dreams just can't be wrong

_Arms will open wide  
I'll be safe and wanted  
Finally home where I belong_

_Well, starting now I'm learning fast  
On this journey to the past_," she jumps into the snow bank with the dog as she hears the jingle of sleigh bells behind her. A horse-drawn carriage clears arches of snow as it moves the family inside.

"_Home, love, family  
There was once a time I must have had them, too_," a sad smile creeps across her face as she watches the dog, which she has chosen to name Jeremy, sniff at the hole of a family of squirrels. Her heart clenches as she once again tries to remember something of her own family. For some reason, when she reaches into the far depths of her mind, all she finds is fog.

"_Home, love, family  
I will never be complete until I find you_," she had vowed long ago to find her family, and if she is getting closer by walking to Mystic City then she won't stop until she gets there.

"_One step at a time  
One hope then another  
Who knows where this road may go?_

_Back to who I was  
On to find my future  
Things my heart still needs to know_

_Yes!_

_Let this be a sign,  
Let this wrong be mine  
Let me lead me to my past_

_And bring me home..._  
_At last_!" she sings the last part of her impromptu song and Jeremy barks. She giggles as she reaches down to cradle the dog in her arms as she reaches the hill above Mystic City. She's here… and it feels somewhat like coming home.

**I'm posting these chapters pretty quickly because reviews give me motivation and I wanted to get to Elena and Damon. Please don't forget to review and tell me what you thought!**

**To October Baby, the first reviewer of this story, I chose the name Leonora to be the Princess' name because the name Elena does not feel as regal. In the movie, Anastasia is shortened to Anya, so Elena is the shortening and switching letters of Leonora. Also, both names mean "light/compassion" so I thought it would work. That's why Katherine kept calling her her light or saying she shone.  
**


	3. Once Upon A December

Having reached the capital city of Mysteria, Elena heads to the ticket booth. The city is full of so many people that she clutches Jeremy to her chest so that she won't lose him in the crowd. Once at the ticket booth she hands the man at the booth her money.

"One ticket to Paris, please," she says to the man managing the booth.

"Exit visa, Miss?" he asks with a rough gravely voice.

"Exit visa?" Elena is surprised because she has nothing but the clothes on her back and a small dog. She'd given him the little money she had.

"No exit visa, no ticket!" the man yells harshly before calling the next number in line and Elena steps back in surprise.

With a sigh, she turns to walk away when she accidentally bumps into an older hunched over woman. "Psst, young lady," the old woman smiles, "go see Damon… he can help you."

"Where can I find him?" she asks in a whisper, even as she wonders why it's so dangerous to talk about this man.

"At the old czar's palace," the woman gives her a small pat on the shoulder as she shuffles past. "But you didn't hear that from me… understood?"

"Oh, I see." Elena understands exactly what the woman's words mean and she thanks her with a nod of gratitude.

"Now get going!" the woman pushes her out of the line with a glint in her eyes and, with an excited smile on her face, Elena takes off to find Damon.

* * *

Meanwhile, Alaric and Damon are holding audition for the girl who would play the part of Princess Leonora. All were scratched off of the list. Then another woman walks on the stage and took off her coat.

"Hi Katherine, it's me, Leonora," she says in a deep, almost manly voice. Damon, for one, makes a face as if he is about to vomit, while Alaric on the other hand is just plain frustrated.

"Oh boy," he sighs irritably. After the audition, the two head back to their 'man cave' with not a single woman to pass as the beautiful Princess Leonora. "That's it, Damon, game over. Of all the time and money we invested and not one of those girls were suitable to pretend to be Leonora." Alaric's eyes are tired and all he wants to do is sleep.

"Don't give up, Alaric," Damon clasps his best friend on the back, "she's gotta be out there somewhere… maybe right where we don't expect." He rolls his silvery blue eyes and runs a hand thru his midnight black hair. "Besides, one look at the music box and Katherine will think we brought her the real deal, and we'll be gone before she catches on." They continue down the street, Damon accidentally bumping into a strange girl with her head down and a cap on her head, not knowing that he bumped right into Elena.

* * *

At the abandoned czar's palace, Elena wanders along the courtyard only to notice that Jeremy's gone.

"Jeremy…" she calls out, "Jer, where are you?" She pulls off the wooden boards blocking the side entrance to the palace in her haste to get inside. Within the palace, Damon heard the noise and snapped his head in the direction it came from.

"Did you hear that?" he asks Alaric, who tilts his head to the side and nods. Having super hearing due to vampirism is helpful in keeping their territory clear of unwanted guests.

"Hello?" Elena calls out as she wanders into the ballroom and a shiver goes down her spine. "Anyone here?" She nervously walks around the huge room and she gasps when it brings back visions from her past, images she had in her dreams at night. She goes over to an old table where there are old dishes and dusty plates set out. Picking one up, she blows the dust off of it. "This place…" she whispers to herself, "is so familiar…" She looks around with wide eyes. "It's like a memory of some sort." She gasps, looking at herself in an old mirror and begins to hum a tune, which slides into a song.

"_Dancing bears, painted wings_," she traces one of the dusty pieces of clay pottery that has dancing bears and swans on it with a delicate finger. "_Things I almost remember… and a song someone sings. Once upon a December._"

She continues the song as she descends the grand staircase into the large ballroom. Small dust particles swirl in the weak sunlight and spin around her as she dances. "_Someone holds me safe and warm. Horses prance thru a sliver storm. Figures dancing gracefully across my memory…_"

Just then, the images from her dreams fill the space. An older woman puts a ghostly hand on her arm and leads her down the stairs. People bow to her and greet her with warm smiles. One beautiful maiden brings her hand up and another adorns her neck with a long strand of pearls. The older woman, with striking chestnut curls and dark kind eyes, makes her spin around and suddenly she is clad in a beautiful golden dress.

"_Someone holds me safe and warm_," she sings as a young man pulls her into a dance, making her giggle. "_Horses prance thru a silver storm_." Another man, this one with light blond hair and hazel eyes, pulls her into another rousing dance, a sparkle in his eyes as he looks at her. "_Figures dancing gracefully… across my memory_." They twirl for a few more minutes before he lets her go and she dances into the arms of the familiar looking older woman, who smiles at her.

They spin together, her feet following as if she knows all of the dance steps by heart, and somewhere in the back of her mind she knows she does. Her memory is so realistic that she can feel soft skin brush against her hand and the fabric brush against her legs. "_Far away, long ago. Glowing dim as an ember… Things my heart used to know; things it yearns to remember_." She stops, feeling the crowd part for a handsome older man with a dark beard and a beautiful woman on his arm. For some odd reason that Elena doesn't know, she can identify these people as the czar and czarina. A young man walks by the czar's side and is clutching the hand of a familiar little girl. Elena finds herself bowing to the czar along with the rest of the group. The older woman is beside her with a kind smile on her face and a warm hand on her arm.

"_And a song someone sings…_," she whispers the words of her song as she feels warm lips press against her forehead. She sighs as she feels the comfort of arms wrapping around her and she looks up to see the older brunette looking down at her with such loving eyes that she doesn't want this vision or memory or dream to end. "_Once upon a December…_"

The vision fades but Elena is left with the feeling of comfort surrounding her and she smiles, pressing a hand to her forehead. Her mind is dazed by lost memories and she doesn't remember anything but the kiss and the strange comfort of home.

"Hey!" a loud deep voice calls behind her and she spins around, roused from her memory. "What do you think you're doing in here?!" She begins to run, her heart pounding in her chest, and he chases her up the stairs toward the Mysterian Royal Portrait. "Stop! Stop!" He calls after her but she just keeps running until she finds herself pressed against the side of the portrait, right near where Princess Leonora is standing. "How did you even get in… here…?" The man blinks in stunned surprise when he notices just how much the young woman in front of him looks just like the real Princess Leonora from the portrait. They were side by side, and identical if not only changed by age.

"Excuse me Miss?" Alaric quickly runs up behind Damon, but the other man quickly stops him.

"Do you see what I see?" he asks Alaric in a whisper. Suddenly, Jeremy rushes out from under some curtains and barks at Elena pawing at her leg. She giggles and picks him up, rubbing her nose against his in affection. "And look at the little dog."

"Are… are you Damon?" Elena stutters.

"Depends on who's looking for him," Damon jokes, walking toward her with a smirk on his face.

"Well, my name is Elena and I need some travel papers. They say you're the go-to person for that, although I'm not really supposed to say who told me…" The brunette stops to notice Damon circling her curiously, as if examining a horse to buy. "And what's with the circling me?" she snaps; "Were you a vulture in another life?"

"I'm sorry, Liana," Damon begins.

"Elena," the brunette corrects him and glares. Jeremy barks in her arms.

"It's just that you have a striking resemblance to…" he stops, quickly changing the subject. "Never mind, now you mentioned something about travel papers."

"Yes, I'm trying to get to Paris," Elena replies with a nod.

"You're trying to get to _Paris_?" Damon repeats in shock and turns to see if his best friend is listening, only to groan as he sees the older man distracted by the pooch.

"Oh look, he likes me!" Alaric laughs.

"Nice," Damon rolls his eyes, turning around to face Elena again. "Now, Elena, was it?" She rolls her eyes at him but smiles none the less. "Is there a last name that goes with that too?"

The brunette shakes her head. "Actually, this is going to sound crazy," Elena puts a hand to her temple as she sighs, "but I don't know my last name. I was found at the Mystic City train station when I was eight just as I was waking up from unconsciousness."

"And before that?" Damon presses.

"I don't remember," Elena answers truthfully, wishing he would just get on with whatever he's trying to say. "I have very few memories of my childhood."

"That's perfect!" Damon whispers to himself.

"I do have one clue, and that is Paris," Elena adds, playing with her necklace subconsciously. "So, are you two goring to help me or not?"

"Uh, sure, coincidentally, we're on our way to Paris ourselves," Damon answers. "We have three tickets, but one of them is for Princess Leonora."

"We are going to reunite the eldest sister Grand Duchess Katherine with her youngest sister Leonora," Alaric explains.

"You do resemble her a little," Damon thinks out loud.

"The same golden brown eyes," Alaric points out.

"The Royal eye color," Damon adds.

"Miranda's smile," Alaric lists.

"Grayson's chin," Damon nods.

"She has Katherine's hands," Alaric held Elena's hand and feels the soft delicate skin, just like the Princess' eldest sister.

"She's the same age," Damon concludes.

Elena, who had been standing quite still next to the portrait, shook her head in anger. They were talking about her as if she wasn't in the same room! "Are you trying to persuade me that I'm Princess Leonora?" she snarks.

"All I'm trying to say is that we've looked all over Mysteria for one woman who looks as much like Princess Leonora as you." Damon walks over and twists a piece of her hair around his finger and smirks when she pushes him away. "Just look at the portrait!"

"Okay, I thought you were mad from the beginning, but now I think you're both demented!" Elena threw her hands up in the air before trying to walk past Damon. She will have to find another way to get to Paris. She grimaces as she feels Damon's hand wrap around her wrist and spins around to face him only to find herself face to face with him. A flush creeps up her cheeks as she looks away.

"Why? You don't know what happened to you," he tells her.

"And no one knows what happened to her," Alaric supplies.

"You're looking for family in Paris," Damon smirks as she shiver again.

"And her only family _is_ in Paris," Alaric finishes his thought.

"Have you ever thought of the possibility?" the raven haired man whispers against her cheek. She shivers and inside her heart is pounding.

"That I could be royalty?" Elena thinks aloud as the two men nod. Damon's silver eyes are sparkling with hope and for some reason it makes something inside her quiver. Alaric is watching from a few paces away with a curious expression on his face. Jeremy has his head titled to the side as he barks from Alaric's feet. "It's kinda hard to think of yourself as the princess when you're sleeping on a hard floor and eating scarps, but I guess every girl without a home wishes to be a princess, right?"

"And somewhere, one girl is," Alaric smiles at her with kind eyes.

"Well, we really wish we could help you, but the third ticket is for Princess Leonora," Damon fakes an apology as he steps out of her personal space and brushes a strand of hair from her face. "Good luck." He steps away and pulls Alaric with him, making Jeremy bark.

"Why didn't you tell her about our plan?" the older man asks, looking in confusion over his shoulder to see Elena leaning against the wall with Jeremy in her arms.

"All she wants to do is go to Paris," Damon explains; "I'm not giving away a third of the share of the reward money." He hisses as he pulls Alaric back to look at him.

"We're walking away too soon."

"Don't worry," Damon shakes off the older man's worry. "I have a plan." Alaric scoffs, remembering how all of Damon's other plans worked out. "Walk slower…" the raven haired man tells him, glancing over his shoulder at Elena as she stares at the portrait with curiosity and confusion mixed in her eyes. "Three… two… one…" he counts on his finger with a smug smile.

"Damon!" the young woman calls out. "Damon, wait!" She runs down and stands behind them on the stairs of the familiar grand ballroom. "I have no clue who I am… Then who's to say I'm not a princess."

"Go on," Damon presses as he takes a step up closer to where she is.

"And if I'm not a princess then Katherine will know right away," she's saying the words more to herself than to him, he realizes as she bites her lip. "Then it will be just a big understanding, right?" Her worried golden brown eyes make Damon take the few steps to reach her and he takes her hand in reassurance. She smiles up at him.

"Sounds reasonable enough," he agrees.

"But if you _are_ Princess Leonora," Alaric smiles as he watches the two young people look at each other, "you'll finally know who you are and you'll have your family back."

"He's right," Damon walks her down a few steps, "either way it gets you to Paris." He holds out his hand and she shakes it, squeezing a little too hard. It doesn't hurt him, but he makes a point of crying out just to raise her spirits a little. He gets a giggle in response and his dead heart flutters.

"May I present… Her Royal Highness, the Grand Duchess Leonora!" Damon holds out his arm for her to take and she laughs, leaning into him slightly.

**So Damon and Elena finally meet! Their interactions are going to go pretty much the same way Dimitri and Anya's are: arguing with a hint of flirting. I think the really big change I'm going to make is how the train scene goes because I need to somehow introduce Elena to Damon's vampire side. And, since this is Afro a more mature audience than Anastasia was, I don't have to hold back with scenes as big as the train scene.**

**Please don't forget to review and comment!**

**P.S. Who can figure out how Jeremy is important to this story other than as the dog?**


	4. In The Dark of the Night

She stoops down to pick up Jeremy with a huge smile on her face. "Jer, we're going to Paris!"

Damon shakes his head. "Uh, the dog stays."

Elena glares at him and clutches the dog to her chest. "I'm talking about how the dog goes."

Damon watches as she puts her hands on her hips and glares at him, cocking one hip and she looks just like Katherine when she was angry that he almost laughs.

"No, the dog is not going," Damon snarls.

"I say the dog goes," Elena bites back, challenging him to say otherwise.

"I'm allergic to dogs," Damon retorts. Elena snorts out a laugh and puts Jeremy down.

"The dog goes or I don't," Elena glares at him and they're face to face again. She curls her lip into a snarl and she pushes him away from her with force.

Meanwhile, as Damon reluctantly accepts the fact that the dog is going with them, a small creature is looking over the ledge of the grand ballroom. It's a small white shape shifting gremlin with big red eyes. His eyes widen as he takes in the scene before him. Beside him sits a glowing green vial with a skull on one side to stop the daemons from spilling out. It glows brighter whenever Elena speaks.

"Leonora?" he gasps before shaking his head, little bat ears flopping. "Yeah, just one problem there, fella." The vial vibrates beside her. "Leonora's dead. All of the Mystic Royalty are dead. They're dead. Dead. Dead. Dead." He turns to the vial, which is actually taller than he is. "Am I right, my friend?" He babbles on. "I mean, how could that me Leo…" he screams as the vial begins to glow a sickly green color and little smoke daemons begin to pour out of the top. The vial, as if it has a mind of its own, wraps around the gremlin's leg and he screams again.

Upside-down now, he clings to the relic. "Oh, come on. Am I supposed to believe that thing woke up after all these years, just because some guy claims she's a Mystic Princess?"

The vial begins to pour smoke from its spout an the gremlin shivers in fear. "OK, OK," he pushes on the glass, "I get the message! Enough already with the glowing and the smoke people!" He moves away from the cursed object and peers down at the scene before him.

"If that thing's come back to life, that must mean... Leonora's ALIVE!" His eyes are wide with surprise and his fur ruffles as another smoke creature crawls over his leg.

Below, Elena and Damon are still arguing about the dog, even though Damon seems to be slowly giving up. Finally, the man cries out in frustration and yells, "Fine! You wanna take the dogs so much… Fine!"

"And that's her!" the gremlin points to the arguing pair. Suddenly, the gremlin is pulled down a hole that appears in the floor, thru and tunnel of water, and then thru a tunnel of lava. "Ow! Hot!" he cries out, trying not the burn her feet as the relic bounces him along. Then she flies into another tunnel of water, toward a great ball that looks like it it's made of bones, and lands with a thud.

"Ooh, ouch, that really burned!" he rubs his feet and pouts.

"Who disturbs my rest?" a booming voice asks. "Get out!" But, once he realizes who it is that appeared, he's taken aback. "Tyler, is that you?"

"Klaus, you're still alive?" he asks in surprise.

"Yes," Klaus answers in rage as his left eye fall out, "in a way!"

"Ew, your eye!" Tyler shrieks and skirts away from his master.

"It's happening, Tyler," Klaus growls as he takes the eye Tyler held out for him and pops it back in. "I can feel the dark forces stirring."

"I wouldn't be surprised," Tyler shrugs his small shoulders. "I saw her, the last heir to the throne of Mysteria… Princess Leonora."

"Leonora… alive?" Klaus asks in shock as his lips slid down his chin.

"Master, your lips are…" Tyler is about to tell him when he interrupts him.

"That Mystic brat!" the half-dead man snaps.

"Ain't that a kick in the head. I guess a curse isn't what it used to be," Tyler jokes out loud out loud as he moves Klaus' lips back up to where they are supposed to be.

"That's why I'm stuck in this dump!" Klaus cries. "My curse has not been fulfilled." Then he waves his hands and one falls off. He falls onto a raised bone platform. "Look at me. I'm falling apart at the seams. I'm a disaster!"

"Well, considering how long you've been dead you look incredible," Tyler replies with a joke.

"Yeah right," Klaus rolls his eyes. "Vampires are supposed to look amazing. I'm falling apart, Tyler, and no amount of blood is going to heal me!"

"You look great for a millennium old guy!" Tyler laughs.

"Really?" Klaus asks, looking slightly hopeful.

"Is this the face of a gremlin who would lie to you?" He makes his eyes wide and bats his eyelashes. "I wouldn't dare." Klaus smiles. "For a minute there, you had a new hop in your step."

"But I told the relic that I sold my soul for, the source of my power," Klaus laments.

"You mean this old thing?" Tyler asks as he points to the relic lying innocently on the stone table.

"Where did you get that?" Klaus snarls as he reaches for it.

"I found it—"

"Give it to me!"

Tyler backs up into the vial. "Alright, alright, don't get so grabby!" he spat.

"Finally, my powers are once again in my hands…" Klaus smiles to himself. "My purpose can still be achieved." He happily grabs the vial from his minion's hands and the last of the Mystic Bloodline will die!"

_In the dark of the night I was tossing and turning  
And the nightmare I had was as bad as can be –_

_It scared me out of my wits -_  
_A corpse falling to bits!_  
_Then I opened my eyes_  
_And the nightmare was...me!_

_I was once the most mystical man in all Mysteria._  
_When the royals betrayed me they mad a mistake!_  
_My curse made each of them pay_  
_But one little girl got away!_  
_Little Elena, beware,_  
_Rasputin's awake!_

_[CREATURES]_  
_In the dark of the night evil will find her_  
_In the dark of the night just before dawn!_  
_Aah..._

_[KLAUS]_  
_Revenge will be sweet_

_[__KLAUS_ AND CREATURES]  
_When the curse is complete!_

_[ALL]_  
_In the dark of the night_

_[__KLAUS_]  
_She'll be gone!_  
_I can feel that my powers are slowly returning!_  
_Tie my sash and a dash of cologne for that smell!_  
_AS the pieces fall into place_  
_I'll see her crawl into place!_  
_Dasvidanya, Elena, your grace, farewell!_

_[CREATURES]_  
_In the dark of the night terror will strike her!_

_[__KLAUS_]  
_Terror's the least I can do!_

_[CREATURES]_  
_In the dark of the night evil will brew._  
_Ooh!_

_[__KLAUS_]  
_Soon she will feel that her nightmares are real._

_[ALL]_  
_In the dark of the night_

_[__KLAUS_]  
_She'll be through!_

_[CREATURES]_  
_In the dark of the night_  
_Evil will find her_  
_Find her!_  
_Ooh!_  
_In the dark of the night terror comes true._  
_Doom her!_

_[__KLAUS_]  
_My dear, here's a sign -_

_[__KLAUS_ AND CREATURES]  
_It's the end of the line!_

_[ALL]_  
_In the dark of the night..._  
_In the dark of the night..._  
_In the dark of the night..._

Just then, Klaus releases his green glowing smoke creatures and they begin to fly off._ "Come my minions, rse for your master. Let your evil shine! Find her now, yes, fly ever faster!"_

_[ALL]_  
_In the dark of the night..._  
_In the dark of the night..._  
_In the dark of the night..._

"_She'll be mine!_" he screams and breaks out into laughter that makes even Tyler shiver.

* * *

Meanwhile, on a train heading out of Mystic City, Alaric and Elena are sitting across from each other. Alaric is writing forged signatures on their passports. Jeremy is curled up in the corner of the chair and he yawns as he wakes up. He kicks the container of ink slightly with his tiny feet, so Alaric began tickling them. Damon is about to sit down when Jeremy snaps at him and he jumps back up.

"Why does the dog get the window seat?" Damon fakes a smile as he sat down next to Elena before watching what she's doing. "Stop playing with that thing… and sit up straight. You're supposed to be a princess!" Elena pouts and turns away from him as she continues to play with her necklace and slouches in her seat.

"How do you know what Princesses do and don't do?" Elena snaps.

"It's my job to know," the raven haired man tells her. "Listen, Elena, I'm just trying to help you." His voice was soft as he says it.

"Damon, do you really think I'm royalty?" she asks in a small voice, looking up at him with hopeful golden brown eyes.

"Of course I do," Damon smiles at her. Elena smirks.

"Then stop bossing me around!" she snarks at him before turning her back to him. He can't see it but she's smiling at the thought of getting the last word.

"She certainly has a mind of her own," Alaric smiles as he points out the smirk on her face.

"I really hate that in a woman," Damon says, which earns him a punch in the arm by the woman at his side. He groans and she sticks his tongue out. Alaric takes out a piece of paper and smile down at it. Each time one of them got the upper hand, he'd make a mark: Damon— five, Elena— thirty.

Later that day, once Alaric and Jeremy are gone, Damon sits across from Elena in their small compartment.

"Look, I think we got off on the wrong foot," he says in a cocky tone that Elena has come to recognize as his only default setting. He seems to have many different settings, but the one she likes the best is so rare that she hardly ever sees it.

So she just smiles and decides to take the same sarcastic route as him. "Well, I think we did, too," she giggles and nods. "But, I appreciate your apology." And the bomb drops.

"Who said anything about an apology?" he snorts in indignation and self-pride. "I was just saying that..."

"Please don't talk anymore," Elena leans her head against the window, "it's only going to upset me."

"Fine," he snarls, "I'll be quiet if you be quiet."

"Alright," she nods and closes her eyes, "I'll be quiet."

"Fine."

"Fine."

"Fine."

"Fine..." Elena trails off as she watches the snowy scenery pass by. "So you think you're gonna miss it?"

Damon turns from where he was resting his head against the back of the seat to see her sad eyes looking at him thru the window. "Miss what? Your talking?"

"No!" She kicks his leg. "Mysteria?"

Damon shrugs. "Nope."

"But it was your home."

"It was a place I once lived," he says as if it's nothing. "End of story."

"Then you must plan on making Paris your true home."

"What is it with you and homes?" he asks her with a soft smile as he takes her hand a rubs his thumb over her knuckles. This is the Damon she lives, not the cocky one that seems to push everyone away.

"Well for one thing it's something every normal person wants," she answers, pulling at the bottom of her coat with her hands. She smiles when she feels the small teddy bear that one of the children gave her back in the orphanage. It feels like so long ago that her heart clenches. He sees her struggle and takes the bear from her hand and places it in his lap, making her giggle again. "And for another thing... it's thing where you just..." She trails off and bites her lip before turning away from him, trying to hide a single tear sliding down her cheek.

He puts a hand on her knee in comfort. "What?" His silvery blue eyes are _actually_ filled with worry for someone other than herself.

She wants to smile and react, but her walls go up and she pushes him away, which starts another argument. "Forget it," she snarls and turns her face to the window again. She can see his pout in the reflection as he cuddles the bear to his chest and she smiles in her mind about the endearing look on his face.

She starts another argument just so she has something to do. Elena doesn't even remember what they're arguing about when Alaric comes in and she stands up, her face flushed. "Oh, thank goodness it's you!" The older man looks between the two young people before Elena points to Damon. "Will you please remove him from my sight?"

Alaric turns to Damon and rolls his eyes. "What have you done to her?"

Damon looks at his best friend and groans. "Me?" he cries in resentment. "It's _her_!" Elena laughs at him before she stands up and leaves the compartment in a huff. Damon crosses his arms over the bear she left him and leans back again.

"Oh… an unspoken attraction!" Alaric exclaims with a big smile on his face.

Damon scoffs and shakes his head. "_Attraction_…?" He rolls his eyes. "To that skinny brat?" He turns to Alaric with silvery eyes wide. "Have you lost your mind?"

"I was just asking a simple question," the older man shrugs as he watches his companion play with a small stuffed bear.

"Attraction… ridiculous!"

But he continues to play with the bear that smells just like _her_.

**So we still have Delena arguing, but Elena's winning instead of Damon, unlike on the show where nobody wins. The next chapter is full of Delena and the train wreck. Intense chapter that veers off from the movie a little bit.**

**Please review!  
**


	5. Train Wreck

That night, Klaus' glowing green creatures fly into the cold winter air, heading toward the train of the three travelers. The creatures crawl into the engine and all around the train itself. Inside the train, Alaric is walking back to their train compartment when he overhears a few people discussing their passports.

"Last month, the passports were written in blue… now they're written in red," someone points out. Alaric looks at their passports and notices that he's forged them in black ink so he hurries back to the train compartment. Damon is sitting across from Elena with the teddy bear in one hand and his head resting on the other as he watches her sleep in the window.

"That's what I hate about this government," he grumbles, "everything's in red!"

"Red?!" Damon asks as his companion shows him the papers.

"We should go hide in the baggage car, and quick, before the guards show up." He starts to gather their things.

"Why don't we just get off the train?" Damon suggests as he places the bear in one of the Elena's open hands, watching with a soft smile as she clenches it around the small stuffed animal subconsciously. Jeremy is watching out the window and sees one of the glowing green creatures pass the window. He starts to bark loudly at the window. As Jeremy is trying to get Alaric's attention, Damon is trying to wake up the young woman curled up into a ball with her head on the window.

Still half asleep and feeling something shake her, Elena immediately goes into attack mode like one of her friends at the orphanage taught her. She feels her hand connect with something and hears a groan before something falls onto the seat beside her. Blinking back sleep, she notices someone cradling his nose. "Oh, I'm sorry, I thought you were someone el—" her voice fades as her eyes focus and Damon's bloody nose is in her vision. "Oh, it's you. Well that's okay."

"I think you broke my nose," Damon cradles his broken nose in his hands, waiting for it to pop back into place.

Elena rolls her eyes. "Men are such babies." She looks around and realizes that Alaric is gathering their suitcases. Damon grabs her small bag of personal items and takes her hand in the other.

"Come on, we gotta go," he pulls her to her feet.

"Where are we going?" Elena asks as the sense of déjà vu rolls over her and she stumbles into his back. A flash of brunette curls and the scent of lilacs overwhelms her, making her whimper. A tear slips down her cheek and she quickly wipes it away before Damon can see it. She pushes on his tense shoulder so that he'll keep walking.

He leads her thru a few more cars before they reach one that seems to be full of baggage. The brunette tilts her head to the side in confusion as her silvery eyed companion nods to himself. "This will do nicely."

Alaric shakes his head and scowls at his best friend. "The girl's going to freeze in here!"

Damon shrugs. "She's got a coat and a mutt to keep her warm," he says with little emotion in his voice," she'll survive."

Elena, having been left to her own curious devices, begins to walk around the new space. She sees bag after bag and some luggage thrown in. With a frown, she turns back to the men. "There's wouldn't be anything wrong with our passports, would there?"

"Of course not, Your Highness," Damon smiles and walks over to stand before her, watching as she crosses her arms and pouts up at him. "I just didn't think you should have to deal with all of those _peasants_." Elena scoffs and tosses her hair over her shoulder as she turns and walks away from him to find a corner to sulk in, Jeremy curled up in her lap.

Outside the train, the creatures unhook the baggage car from the train. The three occupants of the luggage car are thrown back and Elena whimpers as her wrist makes a sick cracking noise against the corner of a crate. Jeremy barks and sniffs at her skin before licking it softly, as if trying to comfort her. She smiles at him and pets him with her unbroken wrist.

"What just happened?" Damon asks as he looks from Alaric to Elena. The older man shrugs and looks outside the car door to see what had occurred.

"I don't know, but there goes the dining car!" Alaric shouts. Elena pushes herself off of the floor and cradles her wrist in her hand as she walks over with Jeremy on her heels. Damon watches as the countryside continues to rush past them with Elena while Alaric goes to check the engine room. "There's no one driving the train!" he calls back to his friend over the roar of flames in the engine room.

"We're going too fast!" Elena cries as she clings to the side of the door with one hand while she tries not to put pressure on the other hand. Damon can see the pain in her golden brown eyes and he reaches out to touch her shoulder in comfort.

"We're going to have to jump," Alaric tells them as he comes back from the boiler room. He starts to gather their things as Jeremy jumps up and down around him.

"Did you say jump?" the brunette squeaks. She watches as the silvery eyed man opens the car door and the wind whips her hair back from her face. "After you…" she gestures to him.

"Okay then, we'll just unhook the car," Damon suggests. Unbeknownst to them, the green daemons heated the metal so that the two parts of the connectors seemed so melt together. Damon jumps out of the car and tries to pull the two sides apart. They grate together in protest, but do not break. Alaric hands him a hammer and Damon tries again, putting all of his strength behind it. But instead of working, the anvil of the hammer breaks off and lodges itself in Damon's shoulder. He shrugs and continues to try and pry apart the car links.

Jeremy and Elena try to search for something stronger while Alaric and Damon are busy being stupid. The mutt notices a box that smells funny and he walks over to it. Elena follows him and smiles as she sees the words 'explosives' written on the outside in black paint. The mutt barks and paws at the side until Elena reaches in and grabs a stick. She wraps her small hand around it and tugs it out of the box.

"There's gotta be something better than this!" Damon roars and Elena jumps at the sound of his voice. She's never met this side of Damon before. Shaking her head, she walks over to where the raven haired man is struggling to pry apart the links. She gasps when she sees the anvil of a hammer stuck inside his shoulder and yet he is going about his work as if it were nothing. Biting her lip, she hands him the stick of dynamite. He looks from the stick in his hand to the brunette hovering above him with worried eyes trained on his shoulder and back to the stick of dynamite.

He lights the dynamite and sticks it between the two links before jumping into the car. Alaric is holding Jeremy in his arms as they press against the back wall and Damon rushes to them, Elena cowering in his arms. She presses her face into his collarbone and he can feel her shaking in his arms. Her wrist bounces with the motions of the motion of the train and she whimpers, the sound almost breaking his heart. So, to lighten the mood and maybe make a smile appear on her face, he leans down and whispers in her ear, "What do they teach you in those orphanages?" He hears her giggle and his heart is melting again.

The front of the car explodes and she screams into his shirt, her body continuing to shake like a leaf. He presses his face into her hair, breathing her in, and rubs his thumb over her shoulder in a rare display of comfort. The entire front of the car is gone when he looks up and Alaric rushes over to try and make the car stop. Realizing that the breaks are broken, he shakes his head at Damon.

"We have a lot of track left," he says as they watch the back of the car. Little do they know that the daemons are heading toward the bridge, making it collapse and the track breaks apart. Looking back to the bridge, Elena gasps and pulls on Damon's shirt sleeve.

"You were saying?" she asks him with one hand on her hip, the other hanging limply at her side. '_I'll have to fix that,_' Damon thinks before she breaks him out of his thoughts with a whimper as her broken wrist bangs against her knee as the train car starts to speed toward the destroyed bridge and rocks the car. Due to the motion, Alaric falls into one of the unused crates and is unable to get back up. Neither young adult notices him.

He goes over to the side of the car where there is an industrial chain with a hook. "Ric, come help me out here!" he jumps to the side of the car and actually hangs off of the side so he can reach underneath. When Elena's face pops out of the car with the hook in her right hand, he shakes his head. "Not you!"

She turns to look over her shoulder and winces as her wrist bumps against the floor. "Well, Ric's busy at the moment!" she shouts back as she lets the chain hang so that he can grab the hook and force it under the broken flooring of the train car. One side of the hook digs a large gash into his side and Elena gasps as she watches the blood flow down his dark blue shirt.

Just as they round the bend, Elena pulls him up, having seen a large piece of debris from the front of the car heading his way. She pulls him with all of her strength and they teeter on the edge for a moment before he gains his balance and presses them both against the wall. Elena can feel the woodchips digging into her back but her breathing is staggered as she feels Damon's breath hot against her face. She looks behind them as the rubble crashes into the forest and breaks to pieces. "And to think that could've been you," she says cheekily with a small smile on her face but her eyes shine with relief.

"If we live thru this," Damon speaks and she shivers at the huskiness of his voice, "remind me to thank you." As the train speeds toward the gaping hole, Elena and Damon push themselves closer to the edge of the door. "Here goes nothing," Damon calls before he begins to push the chain with his foot. "Brace yourselves!" His shout is the only warning Elena gets before the hook latches into one of the tracks and the car bounces along, actually pulling track up with them. He cradles Elena's body close to his, her broken wrist between them, before she screams as the car begins to turn sideways.

Alaric, who finally manages to get himself out of the crate, scoops up the barking mutt and all of their belongings, comes over to stand next to them. "Well, this is our stop," Elena tries to lighten the mood with a joke, before she slams sideways into Damon as the car starts to slide down the hill. He grabs her unbroken wrist and pulls her close to his body as the three of them jump out of the train, rolling to a complete stop against a few trees. The car continues to slide and at the bottom of the hole it explodes. A piece of shrapnel joins the hammer's anvil in Damon's shoulder and he grunts at the minimal pain.

"Now I really hate trains," Damon grumbles as he begins to take the anvil out of his shoulder, letting a hiss escape as he pulls the shrapnel with it. Alaric is trying to sort thru their stuff to see if anything was lost. The lump in Damon's pocket tells him he hasn't lost the music box.

"Damon…" a soft voice makes the raven haired man look up. Elena is standing there with wide eyes as she seems to be watching his back and he can feel the skin knit together. "Damon… what are you?"

She's never been one to question things, having the curiosity and lust for knowledge beaten out of her since she could remember, but when she can see the bloody wounds on Damon's back _healing_, she can only wonder. Sure, supernatural beings existed in her dreams and in her nightmares, but she never would have guessed they were _real_. The only being she'd ever known with any power at all was her only friend Lexi, who had been adopted a year after telling Elena the secret of her magic. But this… this is something else. Now, she realizes, Damon is not even _human_… he is _other_.

"Elena," he sighs and walks over to her on steady legs, as if he had never been injured in the first place. She backs up against the nearest tree, the bark pressing into her thin coat and she shivers from the cold… and from the emotions she can feel coming off of Damon in _waves_. "Elena, please don't be scared of me…" She shivers again, but this time it is from the feel of his comforting presence surrounding her, wrapping her up in a net of safety.

"You're… you're one of _them_," she whispers and it isn't meant to be derogatory, but that's what it sounds like. She winces as he pulls away and she reaches out to pull him back, missing the security she _shouldn't_ be feeling with a stranger. "I'm sorry." Her apology falls flat when she accidentally reaches out with the hand that is attached to her body by a broken wrist.

"Here," he says softly and she almost beams when she realizes that this is the Damon she likes, "let me see." He gently cradles her wrist in his big hands and his skin sooths the pulsing pain. She watches with wide eyes as he actually puts his mouth to his wrist and bites down, creating a small hole from which a trickle of blood flows. "Drink." It sounds like an order, but his eyes are shining with sincerity and hope that whatever he's doing will make it better.

Slowly and hesitantly, Elena brings his wrist to her mouth and licks at the skin. It tastes like copper and iron and metal but there is a hint of something so _Damon _in it that she can't seem to want to stop. But the pain of her wrist suddenly popping back into place makes her pull away and whimper into his shirt. When the pain stops, she looks up at him thru her lashes. "Thank you," she whispers.

And he smiles because she means it.

**Delena angsty fluff! I wanted to add something to reveal to Elena that he's a vampire so I changed this scene. Please don't forget to review and tell me what you think. I haven't been getting many reviews and that makes me kinda sad. I wanna continue this story, but I'm not sure I will if no one likes it...**


	6. Another Idea

"What are we going to do?" Klaus watches as Elena rubs her wrist as she looks up at Damon with a questioning gaze.

"We'll figure something out," Damon reassures her in the crystal ball Klaus held in his hand. Klaus freaks out, losing all control of his body parts in his anger.

"Whoa!" Tyler jumps out of the way as part of the old corpse's thumb flies over his head. "You know, you really should watch your blood pressure. My nephew Mason just keeled over mid-mango." Tyler rambles as he tries to put the older man's thumb back on. "Stress, it's a killer, sir. And he was a fruit bat. No meat. No blood even."

Klaus rolls his eyes. "How could my creatures let her get away?" he snarls.

"Yes, it's very disappointing," Tyler nods in faked sympathy. "I guess the relic's broken." He throws the strange glowing green vial at the nearest wall.

"You moron!" Klaus yells, skidding across the floor as his hands disconnect from his body and catch the vial just in time before it hits the ground.

"Okay," Tyler reminds him nervously, "just remember what I said about your blood pressure. That's what stress does."

"I sold my undead soul for this vial!" Klaus roars. "My life, my entire existence depends on it," he rounds on Tyler with a fire in his eyes, "you could have destroyed it!" He grabs Tyler and wraps a hand around his tiny white body, pressing his face to the glass of the vial with his thumb.

"Okay, okay, I get the picture," Tyler chuckles nervously, "I break it, I buy it." He sighs… his master was never this angry before.

"You better remember, you useless bat," Klaus chucks the bat away from himas he clutches the vial to his chest.

"Oh sure, blame the bat," Tyler crosses his arms; "What the heck? We're easy targets." He crosses his arms.

"What are you mumbling about?" Klaus yells, spinning around.

"I was just wishing I could take Elena out myself, sir," Tyler stands up straight and salutes him. "I'd give her a HA! and a HI-YA! and a OUU-WA! And I'd kick her, sir." He spins around, pretending to kick and punch the air before landing on his butt.

"Oh, I have something better in mind," Klaus chuckles. "Something irresistible… Something diabolical." He whispers the last part while scratching his long nails down the surface of the vial, making a sharp screeching out.

**I forgot to add this chapter to the story before we got to Learn To Do It! I feel like bashing my head against the wall. It's not really important for the story, but Tyler is funny and Klaus flips out. Please review if you want but the next chapter will be up soon!**


	7. Learn to Do It!

Elena, Damon, and Alaric have been walking since sun up the morning after the train wreck—having slept the night in the woods—and it is now afternoon. Damon and Alaric are talking about travel plans while Elena walks slowly behind them, trying to listen in on their conversation. "Are we going to _walk_ to Paris?" she asks finally when she can't stand hearing them whisper anymore.

"No, we're talking a boat," Damon answers her.

"Okay, so we're walking to the boat?" Elena asks.

"No, Your Highness, we are talking the bus," Alaric answers.

"A bus, just lovely," Elena grumbles sarcastically, missing Damon's smirk as she looks down at her shoes.

"Jenna, my dearest, Alaric's coming," the older man says as he walks in front of them with a new swing in his step.

"Who's Jenna?" Elena questions Damon as she watches Alaric's strange behavior.

"Who's Jenna?" Alaric repeats her question with astonishment. "Why, she's like a shooting star!"

"Alaric…" Damon warns, knowing exactly where the man is going with this. Once he starts going on about Jenna, he doesn't stop for a long _long _time.

"She's the warm sun after a cold, white winter…"

"Alaric, that's enough," Damon snarls as he tries to pull his friend out of his stupor.

"She's the moon shining on the lake at night…"

"Is this a person, or a weather forecast?" Elena asks.

"She's Katherine's radiant first cousin," Alaric finally explains something that makes sense.

"I thought we were going to see Katherine, herself," Elena thinks out loud, her heart pounding in her chest. "Why are we going to see her cousin?" She turns around and glares at the raven haired man, crossing her arms over her chest. "Damon?"

"No one goes to see Katherine without convincing Jenna first," Damon explains.

"Oh no, not me... nope!" Elena steps back and puts her hands up; "No... nobody ever told me I had to _prove_ I was the Grand Duchess!" She throws her hands in the air before walking back the way they came. Before she can get far, Damon speeds in front of her, stopping her angry exit.

" Look, I..." he starts to say something but she won't hear it, turning away from him before he can speak. Jeremy, who has been watching the whole thing, barks at his shoes.

" Show up, yes," Elena nods, "Look nice, fine," she says before she turns to Damon and her doe eyes look sad. "But lie?" It's more of a breathy whisper than a question before she spins from him in anger again.

"You don't know if it's a lie," Damon snarls, his plan seeming to go up in smoke right before his eyes. "What if it's true?" He takes her hand softly in his and she smiles down at it before shaking her head.

"Damon… I can't…" she says softly, her eyes filling with stubborn tears.

"Okay, so there's another stop on the path to finding who you really are," he whispers, rubbing his thumb over the tear trying to slide down her cheek; "This is something you have to see thru to the end to find out for sure."

"Look at me, Damon!" she cries out in anguish, "I'm not exactly Grand Duchess material here!" She walks away in frustration, tears of anger streaming down her cheeks. She walks over to where Alaric is on a little wooden bridge looking over the side at the slow moving river below. As their eyes met, he hands her a small pink calla lily.

"Tell me, what do you see?" he asks her in a calm voice as he points to their reflections in the water.

Elena sighs and runs a hand thru her hair, her brown eyes full of confusion. Her face is covered in dirt and scratches from the train wreck and her hair is a bird's nest. Her hat is slightly askew and she looks like a tomboy. Biting her lip, she takes the time to examine her reflection before she turns to the older man. "I see a skinny little nobody with no past," she admits and Damon's heart breaks for her, "and no future."

"You know what I see?" Alaric asks her. When she doesn't answer, he continues, "I see a beautiful young woman who has lost many things. But, in living thru hardships, has learned to be strong and independent. She is like a small star, shingling so that all around her can glow as well," he smiles softly and moves some hair from her face. "But it is your _will to survive_ that is your strongest quality. The loyalty you show to your friends… and even your enemies," both turn to glare at Damon, who throws his hands up. "I see a Princess, Elena."

Suddenly, Damon appears beside them, using his vampire speed. "So, are you willing to become Princess Leonora?" he asks her, but she turns and walks off, a frown on her face.

"What did I say?" he looks to Alaric with a confused look on his face.

Alaric shakes his head and walks over to where Elena is continuing to stare at her reflection in the water, still clutching the flower to her chest. "There's nothing left for you there, my dear' he says in a calm voice, sympathizing with the young maiden and her confliction. "Everything is in Paris." Elena just stares straight ahead, her long dark brown hair creating a curtain between herself and the rest of the world.

"Well, then, gentlemen, teach me how to become Princess Leonora," Elena turns to them with a fire in her golden brown eyes as she accepts the challenge. Damon smiles from where he's leaning against the edge of the bridge, happy that he's not going to lose his chance at the money.

"I remember it so well…" Alaric starts as he stands beside her. "_You were born in a palace by the sea_." His voice is slightly gravely, but she looks up at him with wide eyes.

"_A palace by the sea_?" she questions, looking at herself in the water. "_Could it be_?"

"_Yes, that's right_," Alaric nods, taking her hand. "_You rode horseback when you were only three_."

"_Horseback riding_?" her eyes widen at the thought. "_Me_?"

"_And the horse_..." Alaric smiles.

"_He was white_!" Damon supplied.

_[ALARIC]_

_You made faces and terrorized the cook!_

_[DAMON]_

_Threw him in the brook!_

_[ELENA]_

_Was I wild?_

_[DAMON]_

_Wrote the book!_

_[ALARIC]_

_But you'd behave when your father gave that look!_

_[DAMON]_

_Imagine how it was!_

_[ALARIC]_

_Your long-forgotten past!_

_[ALARIC AND DAMON]_

_We've lots and lots to teach you and the time is going fast!_

_[ELENA]_

_All right...I'm ready!_

_[ALARIC]_

_Now, shoulders back and stand up tall_

_[DAMON]_

_And do not walk, but try to float._

_[ELENA]_

_I feel a little foolish._

_Am I floating?_

_[ALARIC]_

_Like a little boat!_

_[DAMON]_

_You give a bow._

_[ELENA]_

_What happens now?_

_[ALARIC]_

_Your hand receives a kiss!_

_[ALARIC AND DAMON]_

_Most of all remember this:_

_[ALARIC]_

_If I can learn to do it, you can learn to do it._

_[DAMON]_

_Something in you knows it -_

_[ALARIC AND DAMON]_

_There's nothing to it!_

_[ALARIC]_

_Follow in my footsteps, shoe by shoe!_

_[ALARIC AND DAMON]_

_You can learn to do it too!_

_[ALARIC]_

_Now, elbows in and sit up straight_

_[DAMON]_

_And never slurp the stroganoff._

_[ELENA]_

_I never cared for stroganoff!_

_[ALARIC]_

_She said that like a Romanov!_

_[DAMON]_

_The Samovar._

_[ALARIC]_

_The caviar._

_[ELENA]_

_Dessert and then goodnight?_

_[ALARIC AND DAMON]_

_Not until you get this right!_

_[ALARIC]_

_If I can learn to do it_

_[DAMON]_

_If he can learn to do it_

_[ALARIC]_

_You can learn to do it!_

_[DAMON]_

_You can learn to do it_

_[ALARIC]_

_Pull yourself together_

_[ALARIC AND DAMON]_

_And you'll pull through it!_

_[ALARIC]_

_Tell yourself it's easy_

_[ALARIC AND DAMON]_

_And it's true!_

_You can learn to do it too!_

_[ALARIC]_

_Next, you must memorize the names of the royalty._

_Now here we have Kropotkin_

_[DAMON]_

_Shot Potemkin_

_[ALARIC]_

_In the Botkin._

_[ELENA]_

_Oh!_

_[ALARIC]_

_And dear old uncle Vanya loved his vodka_

_[DAMON_

_Got it 'Lena?_

_[ELENA]_

_No!_

_[ALARIC]_

_The Baron Pushkin_

_[ELENA]_

_He was...?_

_[DAMON]_

_Short!_

_[ALARIC]_

_Count Anatoly_

_[ELENA]_

_Had a... ?_

_[DAMON]_

_Wart!_

_[ALARIC]_

_Count Sergei_

_[DAMON]_

_Wore a feathered hat._

_[ALARIC]_

_I hear he's gotten very fat._

_[ELENA]_

_And I recall his yellow cat!_

_[ALARIC]_

_I don't believe we told her that._

_[ELENA]_

_If you can learn to do it,_

_I can learn to do it!_

_[ALARIC]_

_Don't know how you knew it_

_[ELENA]_

_I simply knew it!_

_Suddenly I feel like someone new..._

_[ALARIC AND DAMON]_

_Elena, you're a dream come true!_

_If I can learn to do it,_

_[ELENA]_

_If I can learn to do it_

_[ALARIC AND DAMON]_

_You can learn to do it!_

_[ELENA]_

_You can learn to do it._

_[ALARIC AND DAMON]_

_Pull yourself together_

_[ALL THREE]_

_And you'll pull through it!_

_[ALARIC]_

_Tell yourself it's easy,_

_[ALL THREE]_

_And it's true -_

_[ALARIC AND DAMON]_

_You can learn to do it,_

_[ELENA]_

_Nothing to it!_

_[ALL THREE]_

_You can learn to do it too!_

* * *

The three of them board the boat to France and Elena went to their cabin to change her clothes. Damon knocks on the door and she steps into the hallway, looking anywhere but at him. "I bought you a dress," he says, almost shyly, as he hands her a light blue dress with white lining on the collar and skirt.

"You bought me a tent," Elena counters, pulling out the skirt of the dress and looking inside. Jeremy barks at her heels, agreeing with her on the fact that the dress seems to be too big.

"What'cha lookin' for?" Damon asks sarcastically, looking thru the neck hole of the dress.

"The Mysterian Circus," Elena retorts, a smirk on her face as she pulls away.

The raven haired man throws her the dress and rolls his eyes. "Just put it on," he says before walking up to the main deck. Elena rolls her eyes but goes into the cabin and changes anyway.

Back on the main deck, Alaric and Damon are playing chess while they wait for Elena. She walks onto the deck but the two men are so focused on the game that they don't notice her. "Check mate," Alaric smiles as he moves his piece to knock over Damon's black king. They turn to see Elena and Damon is almost afraid to say something. Alaric chuckles at his friend before walking over to stand next to Elena. "Well, look at you," he smiles as he circles her and she giggles. "Now that you are dressed like a Princess, you must learn to dance like one."

He walks over to the raven haired man and pulls him back to her. The two young adults look wary of dancing before Alaric takes Elena's hand and places it in Damon's. "I'm not very good at this," Damon admits, looking shyly down at the small woman in his arms. Elena smiles up at him and her eyes shine with reassurance.

They begin to dance to the music coming from a nearby gramophone and Elena tries to pull him into the dance. Alaric shakes his head and stops them. "No, no, Elena," he rearranges their hands to that hers delicately rests in Damon's and she feels vunerable. "_You_ don't lead, let him." He motions for them to start again.

"That, uh, that dress looks really good on you," Damon stutters.

"Do you think so?' Elena looks up from her lashes, a small smile on her face.

"Yeah. I mean, it looked nice on the hanger but it's even better on you," he nervously rambles. "Y-you, you should wear it!"

"I _am_ wearing it!" she chuckles.

"Oh, oh yes, I was just, um, trying to give you a... a..." Damon's face is flushed, an unusual trait for a vampire, and Elena almost beams at him.

"Complement?" she supplies, moving a stray strand of hair behind her ears.

"Yeah."

"_It's one, two, three_," he sings,"_And suddenly, I see it at a glance_." He watches as Elena and Damon dance the waltz across the deck, her eyes shining like gold."_She's radiant, and confidant, and born to take this chance_." He sighs and watches as they become closer, bodies touching. "_I taught her well, I planned it all, I just forgot… romance_." He puts one hand to his forehead as he watches them and Jeremy sneaks up on him and snuggles into his arms. "_Ric, how could you do this? How will we get through this?_" He shakes his head again as he pets Jeremy's head."_I never should have let them… dance!_"

"I feel a little... dizzy," Elena admits, her gaze not breaking from his beautiful silvery blue eyes.

"Kind of... light-headed?" Damon whispers, leaning in close.

"Yeah..." she nods.

"Me too. Probably from all the spinning." They don't notice that they had slowly stopped dancing and only the motion of the boat made them think they were still dancing.

"Maybe we should stop," Damon suggests with a soft smile, rubbing his thumb over her knuckles.

"We _have_ stopped," she whispers as she blinks up at him with soft eyes.

"Elena, I..." he starts, swallowing nervously as he looks from her face to her lips and back.

"Yes?" her words are a breath on his lips as he feels her leaning in, her hooded eyes fluttering shut. Both of them lean in and she can feel his sweet breath rolling over her skin and she waits for him to push foreword, but instead, Jeremy jumps out of Alaric's arms and crashes between them to lick Elena's face. The romantic moment is broken as Elena comes back from her fantasy to hone in on her dog instead of the embarrassing flush on her cheeks.

"You did great," Damon says as he backs away and he watches a sad smile appear on her face as she buries her face in Jeremy's fur. All she wanted was _one_ kiss.

**So we see the romantic Delena dance, but in a different setting than Mystic Falls. Hopefully people can imagine what goes on during the first song because I don't think I'd be able to write the whole thing out. Please don't forget to review! My favorite scene is coming up!**

**P.S. Watched the movie again just because! And all of it I imagined Damon and Elena!  
**


	8. Faces, So Many Faces

That night inside their shared cabin, Elena is brushing out her long dark brown hair while Alaric is sitting beside her. He is not fairing well with the storm. "Are you okay?" Elena asks as she puts a hand on his arm.

"I'm good," he reassures her with a weak smile, "I'm just jealous of _him_." He points to Damon, who is snoring away and Elena giggles. He's sleeping on the floor, surrounded by all of their bags, leaving Elena to share the bunk bed with Alaric and he's already claimed the top, even though she knows it will only make him sicker. "He can sleep thru anything!" Just as Jeremy is about to curl up in Damon's bag, the raven haired man kicks it while he's fast asleep.

However, Jeremy finds something in the bag that is essential for Elena to discover herself by the wanted to use it to trick Katherine Jeremy wobbles over as the boat tilts again and crawls into Elena's lap, putting the box into her hand. "It's a beautiful jewelry box, isn't it?" Alaric asks as he watches her examine the box. The small jewels on the outer rim sparkle in the low light and Jeremy barks.

"Jewelry box?" Elena squints and her brain hurts as she tries to figure out why this object calls to her. "Are you sure?" Somewhere in the back of her mind, she isn't sure that the thing she holds in her hand holds jewels at all.

"What else could it be?" Alaric asks her, scratching his head.

"Something wonderful and magical…" Elena whispers; "Something that uncovers a secret…" She looks up to the older man in confusion. "How is that possible?" she thinks out loud as Jeremy began nipping at her toes gently for attention. She giggles at the touch.

"Anything can be possible," Alaric smiles, "I mean, you did teach Damon how to dance. Elena picks up Jeremy and gets into bed, and Alaric did the same, climbing the small ladder to get to the top bunk. "Have a good night, Princess." Alaric yawns before falling asleep.

Elena turns on her side and tucks Jeremy into her side. "Good night, Jer," she whispers into his fur as she falls asleep.

* * *

In Klaus' lair, he and Tyler watch as Elena falls asleep in her bed at sea. "Look at her, fast asleep, and so at peace," the bat says with a small smile on his face as he watches Elena snuggle closer to Jeremy.

"Yes, and sweet dreams, Princess Leonora," the corpse whispers, "but I'll get inside your head… Somewhere where you cannot escape."

* * *

In the bedroom on the boat, Klaus' glowing green creatures surround the room and transform Elena's dream into a missing memory from her past. As she stretches and falls asleep once more, her visions appear to be of her long lost brother, so she follows him in her sleep. Jeremy wakes up when she slips out of bed and, worried about her, he begins barking frantically at the door as Elena heads out onto the deck. After she leaves, the pup rushes over to Damon and paws at his face, trying to wake him up. However, he just turns over in his sleep.

Outside, Elena climbs the stairs to the upper deck, even though in her dream she is climbing a hill as she follows her older brother. She skips joyfully as she follows him to what she thought was a pool of water, which is really the raging ocean. She sees her long lost sister with her hair tied up and a fashionable bathing suit covering most of her skin as she waves her over, urging her to jump. Elena tries to walk toward the pool but leans backward, happily enjoying herself.

Meanwhile, Jeremy is still trying to wake up the sleeping vampire. He barks right by his ear and scratches at his skin and the young man finally begins to stir. "What? What?" his voice is slurred by sleep. "Who is it?" He looks down when he feels Jeremy pawing at his pant leg. "Jeremy, why are you…?" Damon trails off as he notices that Elena is not in her bed. "Elena!" He jumps out of bed and scrambles up the stairs and onto the deck.

Elena is standing on the railing swaying in the wind, dreaming about overlooking the edge of the pool.

"Hey, angel," her dad calls out to her from the water.

"Hello!" she calls back, giggling and waving.

"Come in…" he says, "jump." Her dad calls to her once more, and she sees that her brother has joined her family in the water. Her mother is swimming along with the other young woman. She laughs joyously when she sees them all smiling up at her. In reality, Damon ran across the deck calling Elena's name, but he is swept backwards by the waves crashing onto the ship. He lands in the crow's nest. That's where he sees Elena on the railing of the ship.

"Elena!" he shouts to her. "Don't jump!" But Elena ignores him as she is still asleep and under Klaus' spell. "Elena, no!" Damon grabs a rope and swings back down to the dock just in time to grab the young woman around the waist and pull her back to safety. In her dream, she turns to the water to see what she thought was her dad.

"Yes… jump!" a horrible voice calls to her, suddenly revealing his true form as Klaus. "The Mysterian Royal curse must be fulfilled! Jump! Jump!" Elena gasps and screams as her dream becomes a nightmare, and joy becomes complete and utter fear. Suddenly, what Elena thinks is a minion, grabs her by the waist and she begins screaming madly.

In reality, what, or who, has grabbed her is Damon and she struggles in in his grasp. "Elena, wake up," Damon calls out to her, his dead heart thumping in his chest. "Elena!" He calls to her once she is securely on the deck. He watches with baited breath as her eyes shoot open as she begins shaking and shivering in the raven haired man's arms.

"Th-the Mysterian Royal curse," she breaths in complete fear, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"The Mys— What are you saying?" Damon asks over the roar of the storm. "What curse?"

"I see faces," she whispers, burying her face in Damon's chest, pressing closer to the safety that is _him_. "So many faces…" She blinks up thru the rain and tears as he pushes a strand of hair behind her ear. "I'm so scared…"

"It's okay," Damon soothes her, rubbing her back in comfort and pressing her closer to him. "I'm here now… You're safe." She whimpers again and presses her face back into his chest as if hiding from something. Damon feels startled when his dead heart leaps when she whispers his name softly from within his arms. He _cares_ about her but he wouldn't admit it at the moment, but if he didn't, the chance would pass him by.

So he just holds her as she clings to his nightshirt and rocks her back and forth as her tears fall, sometimes kissing her forehead, sometimes just soothing her with his voice and presence until she falls asleep again in his arms. He sighs and carries her back to their room, tucking her in and brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

For the rest of the night, he stays up and watches her sleep, a protective arm wrapped around her as she snuggles into him.

* * *

Klaus watches everything thru his crystal and is outraged by the results of what happened. He completely flipped out. "No!" he cries as his head hits the ceiling of his lair.

"Take it easy, sir," Tyler try to calm his Master down. "This is not the time to lose your head." The joke is lost on the corpse.

"Yes, you're right," he starts to calm down as his head descends from the ceiling. "I am calm. I am heartless. I have no fear what so ever." His head slides down onto his shoulders and into the empty cage of his ribs. "A certain calmness overcomes me, Tyler," he whispers and it sounds strange to hear noise coming from between his ribs.

Tyler helps the man come out from between the cage of his ribs and fixes his head back on his shoulders. "Are you sure you're okay, Master?" the little bat asks.

Disregarding the question, Klaus speaks again, "Tyler, I'll have to do away with Princess Leonora myself, personally." His smile is malicious. "You know what they say… 'If you want something done, you have to do it yourself!'"

"But that means… going up _there_," Tyler is surprised that Klaus would even suggest something so serious.

"Yes, I have many good memories of Paris," he nods, his fingers bridging as he stands near the wall. "And destroying the last of Mysteria's throne with my own two hands will be the best thing I could possibly imagine." He picks up Tyler in one hand and the relic in the other. "Well, it's time to go."

"You can't go!" Tyler argued. "You're falling apart. How are you supposed to get there in one piece?"

"I was thinking we could take the train," Klaus laughs as he shoots thru the roof of his lair, Tyler clinging to his robe and screaming the whole way.

**So the scene with the dream/nightmare on the boat is my favorite part of the movie because we get to see more of Damon/Dimitri's caring side and Elena/Anya's need for comfort from the past she doesn't remember. Hopefully, you all liked it and will review, because this story is almost done and I only have ten reviews.**

**Now, please help me pick out the next Delena version of a Princess story by voting on my profile! The one with the most votes will be chosen!  
**


	9. Paris Hold the Key to Your Heart

The next day in Paris, Katherine and her cousin Jenna, who is at least ten years her senior, are enduring yet another fake Princess Leonora trying to pass herself off as the real deal.

"Oh yes, Jenna, I remember," the young woman begins. "Uncle Elijah was from Moscow and my Aunt Rebekah was from… um…" Jenna and her foxhound are sitting there, not amused by the girl who doesn't even have Princess Leonora's Mysterian accent. There is no way this girl is Katherine's long lost sister. "Oh yes," she continues, "Bulgaria, and in the summer—"

"We would take walks on Saturdays," Katherine finishes the young woman's sentence. "Don't you have anything better to do than to torment a saddened Duchess?"

"Well, that means you have to go now," Jenna pushes the girl from the room and leads her to the door, "goodbye now!" She shuts the door in the girl's face. She walks back into the room to see Katherine sigh, almost as if in pain.

"Please, Jenna, no more," she begs, catching her breath. Her little light would never be found and she would be alone in darkness forever. Jenna sits down and begins preparing tea from the two of them.

"I am so sorry, Kathy," she apologizes, "I thought she was real… Well, she was _human_ but I meant the real Princess Leonora." Jenna sighs as she spoons sugar into her tea. "However, we are not going to be fooled the next time around. I'll make up really difficult questions… those only the real Princess will know."

"No," Katherine shakes her head, "absolutely not!" Jenna jumps at the tremble in Katherine's voice. For someone who is usually amazing at hiding her feelings, she can see her cousin almost falling apart at the seams with the loss of the one person she cared about more than anything in the world.

"Oh, sweetie," Jenna pulls the brunette into her arms and Katherine cries into her shoulder.

"My poor heart can't take much more of this," Katherine sobs. "No more young girls claiming to be my sweet light." Katherine steps out of Jenna's hold and put the only picture she has of her long lost sister face down on the desk, her heart cracking.

* * *

Damon, Elena, and Alaric are heading into Paris, riding in a carriage toward the town. Damon is giving Elena a last minute quiz on her past. "Alright, Elena, where was your Uncle Elijah from?" he asks her.

"What if Jenna doesn't recognize me?" Elena whispers, worry shining in her eyes.

"She will," Damon reassures her and Alaric nods, agreeing with his statement. "You're Princess Leonora."

"But it's just—" she starts but Damon cuts her off.

"What is it?" Damon cups her cheek gently with one hand. His blue eyes make her confidant enough to confess.

"Three days ago, I didn't have a clue as to who I was," she admits, "and now I'm trying to remember an entire lifetime." She shakes her head and sighs, putting a hand over her face.

Damon slowly peels her hands away from her face to hold them between his own, a soft smile on his face. "That's why you have me," he whispers. When he sees she's calmed down enough, he continues with the quiz. "Now, where was Uncle Elijah from?"

Elena blinks. "Moscow?"

* * *

Later, they arrive at the townhouse where Jenna is staying and Alaric knocks on the door. Jenna's maid opens it. "Yes, sir?" she asks, only to be pushed aside by her mistress.

"Jenna!" Alaric cries as the strawberry blond woman launches herself into his arms, wrapping hers around his neck. "How are you?"

"Ric!" Jenna squeals happily, "Isn't this a pleasant surprise?" She quickly presses her lips against his. Elena and Damon share a small chuckle behind their friend's back. Jenna notices them, especially Elena, and her eyes widen. "Where are my manners?" She pulls away from Alaric but keeps his hand tight in her own as she gestures them inside. "Come in, come in." She giggles again as Alaric kisses her jaw. "I am so full of amazement and surprise… both!" She moves aside to let them in. Damon and Elena nod their heads to her as they pass inside. Damon was glad he didn't need to prompt Jenna for an invitation at all, or else she would have never let him in. Behind them, Jeremy runs toward the door but it is slammed in his face. Inside the house, Alaric is announcing Elena's presence.

"My I present, Princess Leonora Petrova," he introduces her as Jeremy watches from the window.

"Oh, she certainly does look like Princess Leonora," Jenna says as they sit down, "but so did a lot of the others." She shakes her head and smiles at the young woman. "Now, tell me, where were you born?"

"At the Mysterian Summer Palace," Elena answers right away with confidence.

"Right!" Jenna nods. "And how does Princess Leonora like her tea?"

Elena shakes her head and scrunches up her nose in a way that Damon, who is standing on the other side of the room across from her, falls in love with. "I don't like tea," she admits, "just hot water and a squeeze of lemon for flavor."

Jeremy watches from the door and begins to wear a path thru the rose box on the windowsill as he watches and waits. Time passes slowly and soon he has slowed down to almost a stop before his head perks up. "Very good," he hears Jenna say. "And finally, you'll find this a bold question, but surprise me." Elena nods and swallows her worry. "How were you able to escape from the palace when it was attacked?"

From his spot behind her, Damon groans and puts his head in his hand as she leans against the fireplace. He watches as her face scrunches up in confusion for a moment, before she says softly, "There was a boy," her voice is a whisper as she unsurely continues, "a boy who worked in the palace." She makes the motion of pushing something with a delicate hand. "He opened a wall..." Damon's head slowly rises as she chuckles and pushes a hand to her cheek in embarrassment.

"Well, is she the real Princess Leonora?" Alaric asks.

"She _did_ answer all my questions correctly," Jenna points out with a smile, standing up with the tray of tea cups.

"Do you hear that? You did it!" Alaric jumps up from his chair and grabs Elena around the waist in a hug and spins her around. She giggles and pushes him away. "So, when do we get to see Katherine?'

Jenna stops smiling and turns away from them with a frown. "I'm afraid you don't," she sighs. While this exchange is going on, Damon slips out quietly using his vampire stealth so that they don't notice.

"Come again?" Alaric asks inside.

"Katherine will see no more girls," Jenna answers.

"Jenna, my pet, there must be some way for her to meet the Grand Duchess," Alaric pleads with the strawberry blond. "Please." Alaric watches as Elena seems to deflate, her brown eyes sad and glassy with tears.

"Do you like the Mysterian ballet?" Jenna asks Elena, who only nods sadly. "I think they're preforming in Paris tonight!" She smiles and walks toward the kitchen. "Katherine and I _love_ the Mysterian ballet. We never miss it." She winks at Alaric, who knows exactly what she's talking about.

Outside in the beautiful garden of Jenna's home, Alaric bursts thru the door with overwhelming happiness. Damon is standing beside a weeping willow tree trying to gather his turbulent thoughts.

"We did it!" Alaric shouts happily. "We're going to get the ten million rubbles and we are going to be rich!"

"Ric," Damon calls, trying to stop him, "Ric! Ric, she _is_ the Princess…"

"Elena was beautiful!" Alaric acts as if he hasn't heard the vampire. "I almost believed her! And Jenna!" Alaric continues. Just then, Elena runs out of the house with excitement.

"Jenna wants to take us shopping!" she cries happily. "Shopping in Paris," she breathes, "can you believe it?"

She begins to twirl, revealing a beautiful purple dress with a silk top. She ran out of the boutique to join her friends, grabbing Damon's hand in excitement.

_[ACCORDIAN PLAYER]_  
_Lovers!_

_[LADY FLOWER SELLER]_  
_Ooh La La!_

_[JENNA]_  
_Welcome, my friends, to Paris._  
_Here, have a flower on me._  
_Forget where you're from._  
_You're in France!_  
_Children, come!_  
_I'll show you that French joie de vivre!_

_Paris holds the key to your hear._  
_And all of Paris plays a part._

_[ACCORDIAN PLAYER AND FLOWER SELLER]_  
_Just stroll two by two_  
_Down what we call "la rue"_

_[JENNA AND ALL]_  
_And soon all Paris_  
_Will be singing to you!_  
_Ooh La La_  
_Ooh La La_  
_Ooh La La!_

_[MAURICE CHEVALIER]_  
_Paris holds the key to l'amour!_

_[FREUD]_  
_And not even Freud knows the cure._

_[AVIATOR]_  
_There's love in the air!_

_[JOSEPHINE BAKER]_  
_At the Follies Begere!_

_[ARTISTE]_  
_The French have it down to an art!_

_[ALL]_  
_Paris hold the key to your heart!_

_[JENNA]_  
_When you're feeling blue_  
_Come to Le Moulin._  
_When your heart says don't,_  
_The French say do!_

_[CAN CAN GIRLS]_  
_When you think you can't_  
_You'll find you can can!_

_[JENNA]_  
_Everyone can can can!_

_[JENNA AND CAN CAN GIRLS]_  
_You can can can too!_  
_Whee!_  
_Whee!_  
_Whee!_

"_Paris hold the key to her past_," Damon sang softly as he watches Elena dance with a stranger, her dress swirling around her knees and a huge smile on her face. "_Yes, Princess, I've found you at last_." He twirls the rose she had given tucked into his coat lapel back at the first boutique. He could still feel her arms wrapped around one of his as they walked along the paved streets. "_No more pretend_," he sings, his heart breaking as he thinks about how he's going to have to leave her. She won't want him once she finds out what he is, "_you'll be gone, that's the end_..."

_[ENSEMBLE]_  
_Paris hold the key_  
_To your heart!_

_[COUTURIER]_  
_You'll be "très jolie" and so smart!_

_[ISADORA DUNCAN]_  
_Come dance through the night_

_[RODIN]_  
_And forget all your woes_

_[JENNA AND ALL]_  
_The city of light_

_[GERTRUDE STEIN]_  
_Where a rose is a rose!_

_[JENNA AND ALL]_  
_And one never knows what will start!_  
_Paris_  
_Holds the key..._

_[DAMON]_  
_To her..._

_[JENNA AND ALL]_  
_Heart!_

_[JENNA]_  
_Ooh La La!_

_[ALL]_  
_Ooh La La!_

* * *

At the Paris opera house that night, Damon and Alaric sit on the steps waiting for Elena. Alaric looks extremely nervous.

"There is nothing to be nervous about, Ric," he tells his friend, resting a hand on his shoulder, "she's the real Princess…"

"I know, Damon, but—" Alaric begins but Damon interrupts him as he stands up and pinches the bridge of his nose.

"No, you don't understand," Damon shakes his head. "_I_ was the boy in the palace— the one who opened the wall." He runs his hands thru his hair and shakes his head. "She's the real thing, Ric."

Alaric's eyes widen as he finally understands. His mouth opens and closes like a fish but he can't say anything. He stands up and walks over to Damon. "That means that our Elena has found her family… We have found the heir to the Mysterian throne…" He pats the young man on the back. "And you…"

"Will walk out of her life forever," Damon cuts him off before he can say anything else. His sapphire blue eyes are filled with a sadness that Alaric has never seen in his best friend's eyes before. It is almost as if he is heartbroken.

"But…" Alaric starts but Damon shakes his head.

"Princesses don't marry kitchen boys," Damon says firmly before his voice catches in his throat. He's never been the emotional type, but Elena, a _human_ has changed him for the better.

"Well, you're going to have to tell her—" Alaric starts but before he can say anything else someone steps up behind them, making them both jump.

"Tell me what?" a brunette beauty asks and the two men can hardly recognize her. An aquamarine faux fur coat covers her entire body. A diamond choker is delicately draped around her throat and there are sapphire drops dangling from her ears. Damon doesn't understand, but she had chosen the sapphire because of _his_ eyes… but she would never tell him that.

"How…" the raven haired man can hardly speak, "how beautiful you look tonight." Damon stutters over his words and she smiles at him, that shy but fiery smile that reminds him that she is still _his_ Elena… not Princess Leonora Petrova.

"Hello, Jenna," Alaric bows to the older woman and she smiles as he takes her arm, leading her up the stairs to the opera house.

**So we finally see Damon sort of accepting his feelings for Elena. Please review and don't forget to vote on the next "Princess" Delena story on my profile.**

**October Baby: I have never actually seen that movie and so I'm sorry that I will not be able to write a story based on it. I know this most princess movies very well because my sister and I watch them all of the time.  
**

**P.S. I'm also thinking of doing a Lion King + Lion King 2 but I can't figure out who Mufasa's going to be. Help me! Here is the "cast" list:  
**

**Mufasa- ?  
Sarabi- Rose  
Nala- Katherine  
Simba- Stefan  
Timone- Bonnie  
Pumbah- Jeremy (just the character, not the personality)  
Scar- Klaus  
Hyaenas- hybrids  
Rafiki- Alaric  
Lionesses- female humans  
Zazu- Elijah  
Kovu- Damon  
Kiara- Elena  
Zira- Rebekah  
Vitaloni- Caroline  
Nucka- Kol  
Outlander lionesses- female vampires**


	10. At the Opera

Elena walks up the stairs to meet Damon and Alaric after going with Jenna to put their coats away. Damon is standing on top of the staircase looking extremely handsome in a tailored suit and tie. His eyes are trained on Elena as she walks up to meet him. Her body seems to be wrapped in dark blue silk and it shimmers as she as she walks. Her delicate hands and covered by pure white gloves and the necklace of diamonds sparkles at her throat. He is lost in a trance of her beauty, like a witch's spell, but he shakes it off and rushes to meet her. Alaric grabs Jenna's hand and kisses it before leading her up to their booth. When they reach their opera box, Damon sits down next to Elena and hands her a pair of opera binoculars.

"There's Katherine," he whispers as Elena looks thru the binoculars to see a beautiful brunette, who looks to be in her late twenties, dressed in shimmering dark purple and black fabrics but the light is too dim to see the detail on her dress.

"Please remember me," she whispers as the lights begin to go down. While the play continues, Elena's mind is racing. She's so nervous that she begins to play with the paper program in her hand until she begins to tear it into shreds. Damon looks down at her hands before he looks to her face, where she sees her biting her lip. He takes her hand and intertwines their hands and rubs his thumb over the pulse point in her wrist.

"It's going to be okay," he reassures her and she smiles at him.

* * *

Once the play is over, Damon takes her hand and leads her to Katherine's private room. "Come on," he whispers, "it's time," as they walks out of their opera box and down to the lobby. Elena is so nervous that she panics and turns away from Damon, her body poised to run and he can hear her heart racing.

"Hey…hey," he places a comforting hand on her arm. "Just take a few deep breaths." He can hear her heart racing and he watches as her hands begin to tremble so he wraps her in a hug and presses a soft kiss to her forehead. "It's going to be alright." He moves out of the hug and takes her hand, leading her to Katherine's balcony. They stop before the door just before going in. "Wait out here," he tells her, "so I can announce you formally." She nods and bites her lip, looking conflicted.

Before he can step inside, she pulls on his sleeve. "Damon?" Her voice is soft and nervous.

"Yes?" the raven haired man stops and turns around.

**"**Look, we've been through a lot together..." she wrings her hands nervously and won't look him in the eye.

**"**Uh-huh?" Damon nods, wondering where she is going with this.

**"**And..." she pauses, "I just wanted to..."

**"**Yes?" His eyes are like sapphire stars as they sparkle in excitement.

**"**Well..." Elena starts before sighing and looking up into his eyes. She seems to deflate before him as she says, "thank you, I guess. Yes. Thank you for everything." He knows that's not what she was going to say but he goes with it. She backs away but he is the one to grab her hand this time.

"Elena, I..."

"Yes?" her voice almost cracks with excitement at what his words an be.

**"**I... I'm, um..." he stutters.

"Ye-es?"

**"**I want to wish you good luck, I guess," he smiles and pats her hand.

**"**Oh," she whispers out in a breath.

"Well, here goes nothing," he smiles at her before walking into the booth to announce Elena, where Jenna sits elegantly on the couch overlooking the theater. He can see an outline of the Dowager Empress thru the curtains that seperate the seats from the rest of the room.

"Please inform Her Majesty, the Dowager Empress, that I have found her sister, the Grand Duchess Leonora," Damon announces with a formal bow. Katherine turns her head toward him to see the young man enter the room. "She's waiting to see her just outside the door."

"I'm very sorry, young man, but the Dowager Empress, she will see no one," Jenna fakes her authoritative tone, not letting Katherine know that she is in on the plan to get Elena to see her.

"You may tell that impertinent young man that I have seen enough Grand Duchess Leonoras to last me a lifetime!' Katherine snaps.

"You'd better go," Jenna suggests to Damon once she sees how close Katherine actually is to breaking down again.

"Please, let me just—" Damon is interrupted by Katherine, who is less than impressed with his intrusion.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I wish to live out the remainder of my lonely life in peace!" the Duchess continues furiously.

"I'll escort you out," Jenna tries to pull on his arm but he breaks out of her hold. He walks thru the curtains to where Katherine is sitting.

"Your Highness, I mean you no harm," he puts his hands up to show he has to hidden weapons. "I'm Damon… I used to work at the Place as a kitchen boy," he explains hopefully.

"Well, I have to admit," she does not smile, "that's a story I've never heard before."

"No, wait, please just hear me out," he begs.

"Oh, I know what you're up to," she snarls, turning to him, "I've witnessed it many, _many_ times." She shakes her head. "People teach young ladies to pretend to be my youngest sister."

"Yes, but if you would only listen—" Damon is cut off by Katherine once again.

"Have you been listening to a word I just said?" she cries, standing up and walking thru the curtain. She pulls on a rope to call security. "I've had it!" She throws her hands up in the air and gathers her skirts. "I don't care how much you've dolled this young woman up to look like her," her eyes are glassy with tears, "sound like her, or even act like Leonora… but it _never_ is!"

"This time it really _is_ Leonora," Damon insists.

"Damon…" she seems to be trying his name out on her tongue. "I've heard of you… You're that con-man from Mystic City holding auditions for a Leonora look-alike," she spat, pointing an accusing and almost deadly glare at him. He doesn't hear Elena's startled gasp over the angry pounding of Katherine's heart.

"But we've come all the way from Mystic City to see you," he pleads; "you've got to believe me."

"And many have come from Timbuktu," she retorts, "I don't care!" She's getting more and more irritated with this young man each time he opened his mouth.

"No, Katherine, it isn't what you've heard," he protests, "I'm not like that."

"How much pain are you people going to make a woman like myself endure before you're satisfied?!" Katherine cries out madly. Two security guards come into the room and each grab an arm. "Remove this man immediately."

"But she really is the Princess!" he shouts before being thrown out of Katherine's private booth. He lands at Elena's feet. He lokos up to see the Petrova fire burning in her golden brown eyes and her face is almost flushed with anger.

"It was all a lie, wasn't it?" she stomps her foot an inch from his nose.

"No, no..." he tries to reassure her.

"You used me?" she cries, tears pooling in her eyes. "I was just part of your con to get her money?"

"No, no, no, no - look," he sighs and stands up in front of her, "it may have started out that way, but everything's different now, because you really _are_ Leonora. You are!"

He tries to reach for her, but she pushes him away. "Stop it!" she snarls, so similar to the woman inside the private box that Damon really wants to roll his eyes. Now both Petrovas are yelling at him. "From the very beginning, you lied!" A tear slides down her cheek. "And I not only believed you, I actually..." She shakes her head and grunts.

"Elena, listen, when you spoke about the hidden door in the wall, and about the little boy, listen to me, that was..."

"NO!" she screams and she cringes at the fact that she's making a scene. "I don't want to hear about anything that I said or remembered, you just leave me alone!" A tear slides down her cheeks before the Petrova fire flickers again in her eyes and she reaches out with her hand… and slaps his as hard as she can. He shouldn't have been able to feel it, it shouldn't have hurt, but it did because her pain was his pain. That hurt more than any slap. More tears stream down her cheeks as she gathers her skirts and runs off, wiping at her tears as she runs.

He tries to run after her, but two men stop him. "Elena, please, you have to know the truth!" he shouts after her but she is lost in the crowd.

* * *

Katherine walks down the stairs of the opera house to her carriage as her private chauffeur assist her to the back seat.

"Your Highness," he addresses her as he made sure she was securely seated in the back. As he is about to take his place in the driver's seat, Damon slips into the driver's seat and drives away with Katherine in the back, startled by the speed at which the car was going. "Kol, slow down," she demanded.

"I'm _not_ Kol and I won't slow down... _not _until you listen," he says in a calm manner. He speeds up and drives down streets and curves around alleyways, not slowing down.

Katherine blinks, recognizing the young man's voice. "You…how dare you!" she screams. "Stop this car immediately! _Stop this car_!" She's banging her purse against his shoulder but he has a steady hand on the wheel. Suddenly, the vehicle squeals to a halt in front of Jenna's home. Katherine huffed and crossed her arms, waiting for the young man to let her out.

"You must talk to her," he pleads, "just take a look at her, Katherine, please."

"I don't have to be harassed by you anymore!' Katherine shouts, infuriated with his constant bothering her.

"Do you recognize this?" Damon asks as he pulls the music box that once belonged to Princess Leonora of Mysteria. Katherine is shocked speechless by what Damon has just given her. She holds it close to her heart with the wishes of knowing that she can see her dearest sister safe and sound again.

"Where did you get this?' she asks him in a whisper.

"I know how much you've been deceived, how much heartache you've endured," he smiles softly, "and chances are that she has been just as lost and confused as you are."

"You'll stop at nothing, will you?" she nods and gets out of the car.

"I'm probably about as stubborn as you are," Damon says bravely; Katherine only smiles at him and walks toward the house.

**So here we see Elena's Petrova fire tearing at Damon and the vampire's soul shining thru his tough exterior... Hopefully, she will forgive him. It's not really that hard to guess because most people reading this have seen the movie.**

**Please review and vote for the next story!**

**P.S. Check my profile to see the dresses used in this story!**


	11. Goodbye Elena, Hello Leonora

Inside Jenna's house, Elena is furiously packing her belongings. She is planning to leave and go back to Mystic City as soon as possible. She never wants to see Damon again after what she had discovered about him. She looks down to see the flower he had given her on their outing in Paris. Her heart breaking just a little more, she lets the rose fall into the trash, along with her heart.

Suddenly, there is a knock on the door. Unaware of who it is, Elena assumes it's Damon. "Go away, Damon!" she shouts as she continues packing. Just as she speaks, Grand Duchess Katherine opens the door and Elena turns around in complete and utter shock. "Oh," she flushes, "my apologies. I thought you were—" Elena speaks but Katherine shakes her head and smiles sadly.

"I know exactly who you thought I was," she chuckles before her face becomes hard. "Now… who are you?"

"Well…" Elena is unsure of how to continue, "I was hoping you could tell me."

"You seem like a very nice girl," Katherine starts, her voice sad, "but I am sick and tired of being tricked into these interviews."

"I don't want to trick you," Elena admits honestly.

"So I assume the money doesn't matter to you," Katherine sighs and rubs her temple.

"I just want to know where I come from, whether I belong to a family," the younger brunette says honestly, "whether I belong to _your_ family or not." There is a moment of silence before Katherine speaks up.

"You're a very good actress, best yet in fact," Katherine sighs as she stands and walks past Elena toward the door. "But I've had enough." She puts her hand on the handle before Elena gasps and smells the air.

"Lilacs?" Elena blinks, feeling warm envelope her with the smell.

"Oil for my hands," Katherine nods and opens the door.

Yes..." Elena's eyes go glassy for a moment before she smiles, "I spilled a bottle. The carpet was soaked and it forever smelled of lilacs— like _you_." She blinks up at Katherine as the older woman walks toward her slowly. "I used to lie on that rug and, oh, how I missed you while you were away..." She stops to look to the older woman, "Here… to Paris." Her eyes widen at the memories.

Katherine collapse on the nearby stool and presses her hand over her heart. "Come, sit," Katherine says softly, offering the young woman a seat on the couch. Elena accepts, playing with the necklace around her neck. She had taken it off for the opera, but as soon as she was out of that wretched dress, she had slipped it back on. She smiles softly as she looks down at her hands. "What is that?"

"This little trinket?" Elena holds out the small charm on it. "I've had it ever since before I can remember."

"May I see it?' Katherine asks. Elena nods and slips the necklace over her head and hands it to the older brunette. The woman begins to look at it in absolute amazement. "This was our little secret," she whispers thru her happy tears, "my sweet Leonora's… and mine…" She pulls out the music box that Damon had given her and holds it in her other hand next to the necklace.

"Th-the music box," Elena breathes, "it sang me to sleep when you left to come here." Elena gasps in disbelief. She takes both of the offered objects from Katherine and twists the small sun pendant into a small hole in the bottom of the music box. The music starts playing and she begins to hum, the words slowly coming back to her as she sings, "_Here this song and remember…_"

Katherine joins her and they sing together, "_Soon you'll be home with me. Once upon a December._"

There are tears in the Grand Duchess' eyes as she leans forward to embrace the other girl. "Oh, Leonora, my sweet, beautiful little light," the woman pulls Elena close and they cry together. It is the most comforting and warm hug she has ever felt and they were both overwhelmed with happiness and relief.

Outside, on the sidewalk, Damon smiles, knowing that he has done good… something unusual for him. He blows Elena a kiss before for walking home in the rain with a sad frown on his face.

* * *

In an abandoned clock tower, Klaus and Tyler are planning the attack to end the life of the last heir to the thrown of Mysteria. Well, Klaus is planning… Tyler's just babbling about random stuff. "Tyler, get me a comb, find some cologne," the walking corpse orders his minion. "I want to look my best!"

"That might take some work, sir," Tyler says from where he's standing on a newspaper with the headline that Princess Leonora has been found.

"We're going to a party!" Klaus ignores his comment and continues.

"A party?" Tyler shakes his head and stands up. "Ooh, I could teach you the latest dance step. It starts with, like, a "whoa." And then you get really crazy with the hips, sir. It's fun!" He begins to twist and contort his body, swirling his hips this way and that.

"We'll let the Duchess Leonora have her moment," Klaus murmurs with a cruel smile on his face.

Tyler, who is still dancing, shrugs, "Aah, who cares?"

"And then we'll kill her!" the old man shouts, laughing maniacally.

"Right," Tyler nods before he realizes what his master has just said. "Kill... kill her? Sir, what happened to the party idea?"

"That's where I will kill her," Klaus laughs again and rips the newspaper. The picture on the front of Princess Leonora from before he killed her family lands on Tyler's face. "Crush her at the height of her glory."

"And we're back to the crushing," Tyler shakes his head. "Sir, I'm begging you, please, please forget the girl and get a life!"

"Oh, I'll get a life, Tyler..." Klaus pulls the photo from his minion's face and crushes it in his bony hand. "Hers!"

* * *

In Katherine's study, Elena and Katherine looking at picture after picture of her family, memories flooding back to her one by one. Elena is wearing a dark blue nightgown and Katherine is wearing a dark purple. "I remember now how much I loved them," Elena whispers thru her happy tears.

"They would not want us to live in the past," Katherine pulls her sister into a hug and runs a hand thru her hair, "not now that we have found each other."

The elder Petrova reaches back into the memory box and pulls something out, a laugh spilling past her lips. "Oh look!" she pulls out a drawing of a doll sitting on the chair. "The drawing you gave me! Remember?"

"Oh yeah..." Elena takes the picture with a huge smile on her face. She slowly traces the curve of the doll's cheek. "Our brother made me so mad! He said it looked like a pig riding a donkey!" She laughs and shakes her head, shrugging her shoulders. "He was right."

"Ah, your laughter," Katherine says with a hint of longing in her voice as she cradles her younger sister's chin in her hand. "Once again, I hear our dear father." The older brunette pulls Elena to her feet and leads her to a floor to ceiling mirror. She retrieves a tiara from a secure hat box on a stand. She places it delicately on Elena's head and smiles, "But you have the beauty of our mother, Miranda, empress of all Mysteria."

Elena is fitted for a gorgeous gown in the most mysterious shade of red, almost as dark as Damon's blood, and Jenna and a seamstress step back to admire the final product after making adjustments to the gown.

* * *

On the same that Elena is getting fitted with her ballgown, Damon walks into Katherine's study, where the reward is sitting on the table in a large chest for when the real Princess Leonora was returned to her.

Damon bows to the Grand Duchess. "You sent for me, your Grace?"

"Ten million rubles, as promised, with my gratitude." Katherine nods and gestures to the chest of money.

"I accept your gratitude, your Highness," he nods his head respectfully, "but I- I don't want your money."

"What do you want, then?" Katherine asks, her eyes flashing with hints of both suspicion and confusion. She looks at the young man with such curiously that he begins to fight under her gaze.

"Unfortunately," Damon sighs, "nothing you can give."

"Young man..." The raven haired man bows again and turns to leave when Katherine's voice halts him in his tracks. "Where did you get that music box?" She tilts her head to the side again as Damon begins to mimic the motions of a fish trying to breathe above water. "You were the boy, weren't you - the servant boy who got us out?" She takes a step close to him, keeping herself in his line of sight at all times. "You saved her life and mine, then you restored her to me." she shakes her head and laughs a little, "Yet you want no reward."

Damon shakes his head and wrings his cap in his hand. "Not anymore."

Brown eyes soften as she smiles at him, realizing something he has yet to realize himself. "Why the change of mind?" she asks him, trying to get him to figure out the truth.

"It was more a change of heart," Damon admits sadly. "I must go." He bows once more and leaves the large room.

Outside in the hallway, Elena is coming up the stairs as Damon tries to hurry out of her path of fire. He tries not to stare at the dress that hugs her every curve and accentuates the tone of her skin against the dramatic shade of blood red. He can still feel the waves of anger, hurt, and betrayal coming off of her so he shakes his head and steps back.

"Hello, Damon," she acknowledges him formally and distantly with no emotion. She tries to keep her heartbeat steady since she knows he can hear it, but it is so hard with him standing so close to her.

Hello," he stutters, still mesmerized by her beauty. He can still remember the scrappy little orphan he met at the Palace in Mystic City so long ago.

"Did you collect your reward?" she bites out the question bitterly and her heart beats out a hurtful tone in his ears.

"My business is complete," Damon says simply, still hurting, knowing that he will leave her behind forever.

Just then, an elderly servant of Katherine's steps forth. "Uh sir," he pulls Damon's focus away from the beauty before him; "you will bow and address the princess as Your Highness."

"That won't be necessary," Elena shakes her head and her eyes flash painfully as she tries to stop him.

"No, please, I insist..." he shakes his head before bowing at the waist to her, "Your Highness. I'm glad you found what you were looking for."

"I'm glad you did too," she retorts, not knowing that just seeing her where she belongs is what he knows he's been looking for. She doesn't know how much he's hurting.

"Goodbye, then..." he seems to choke on his words and this is the first time she's seen him this emotional, "Your Highness." He walks down the stairs and continues on his way out of her life.

"Goodbye," she whispers as a tear slides down her cheek.

**This is the second to last chapter! It seems that people really want me to do Cinderella next, so that's the one I'll be doing. As always, please review and don't forget to vote if you haven't yet.**

**P.S. Links to all of the dresses are posted on my profile.  
**


	12. The Perfect Beginning

Alaric looks at himself in the mirror and nods. He is wearing a formal blue uniform and he likes how it looks on him. Beside him, Jeremy is trying to balance a small crown on his head. He shakes it off of him in protest.

"You look great, Jeremy," Alaric smiles down at the dog he's become so fond of. There is a medal around Jeremy's neck actually weighs him down "Do you mind…?" he asks and then shakes his head; "Of course you don't, you're a dog!"

Suddenly, Alaric sees Damon enter the room to pick up his small pile of belongings. He turns to face the vampire. "Ric, if you're ever in Mystic City again, keep in touch…" he sighs and picks up the last of his things, he gives Alaric a hug.

"Damon, you're making a big mistake," Alaric tries to console his friend out of doing something stupid.

"Trust me," Damon claps the man's arm, "this is one of the only things I'm doing _right_." He bends down and pets a whimpering Jeremy on the head. "Take care of Elena, little man," he tells the dog seriously. "I really can't stay here… Princesses don't marry kitchen boys."

* * *

Out at Elena's coronation ball, everyone is dancing and enjoying themselves as Elena and Katherine stand watching behind a curtain.

"He's not there, dear sister," Katherine puts a hand on Elena's arm and pulls her away, allowing the curtains to fall.

"Oh, I know he's not," Elena spits bitterly, "he's…" Elena tilts her head in confusion. "Who's not there, Kat?" The older woman smiles at the sound of her dear sister's nickname for her spills from her mouth without a thought before she gets back to the task at hand.

"A very determined young man who found a music box," Katherine explains with a small smile.

"He's probably out spending the reward money as fast as he can," Elena snarls. Katherine just watches as hurt and pain bubbles up in her young sister's eyes, even as she tries to hide the pain behind bitter words.

She turns back to the dancers and watches as they dance. "Look at them dance," she points out. "You were born into a world of glitter and precious titles and jewels." Elena almost giggles as she watches Jeremy yawn next to what is going to be her seat on the dais next to her sister's chair. The pup looks bored out of his mind! Katherine turns back to her and smiles sadly, "Though, I wonder, if this is really what you want…"

"Of course it is, Kat!" Elena beams and spins around in her blood red dress. "I found what I wanted; I know who I am now… I found _you_…" Elena's mouth says one thing, but Katherine can read another in her eyes.

"Yes, sister, you did find me, and you'll have me no matter what, but is that really what you _want_?" Katherine smiles softly as she wraps her arms around her sister and pulls her into a delicate hug, so as not to ruin their dresses. "My dear, my sweet Leonora," she brushes a curl from her sister's face as she pulls away, "he didn't take the money."

Elena blinks in surprise. "He didn't…?"

"Knowing that you are alive," Katherine starts, "and seeing the woman you have grown up to be, brings me great joy that I cannot even find words to express." Katherine's eyes are misty and Elena buries her face in the comfort that is her sister. "Whatever you chose to do, Lena, I will always be there for you." Katherine presses a tender kiss to Elena's temple before stepping away. The younger brunette turns for a moment before she spins back around to find herself alone behind the curtains.

"But can't you tell me—" she starts before she realizes that the woman is no longer there. The curtains rustle and she realizes that she has a choice to make. Either join her sister and accept her role as Leonora, or follow her heart in search of the only man she's ever truly cared for… no matter how infuriating he is.

Suddenly, Jeremy begins barking wildly from outside in the maze garden. "Jer?" she calls out to him, following the sound of his barking deeper and deeper into the maze. Each section she runs thru closes up behind her, closing her off to escape. She continuous calls her beloved dog's name as she walks toward the edge of the garden near the river.

* * *

Damon waits for the train that will take him back to Mystic City. When he reaches into his pocket for his boarding pass, not a fake one this time, he finds something soft and furry. He pulls out the worn teddy bear and cradles it in his hands. All he can think about is Elena and how much his undead heart yearns for her.

"Sir…" someone taps him on the shoulder, "sir, you're next to board." The person behind him breaks his concentration as he sighs and stuffs the ratty old bear back in his pocket and shuffles forward.

* * *

Back in the maze, Elena is trying to find Jeremy when a huge gust of wind blows her dress and it becomes uncomfortable dark. Then, there was a bright green light glowing behind her, and she turns in fright, her heart pounding a tattoo into her chest. She follows it into the deeper part of the maze. Jeremy's barks are clearer now and Elena finds him racing toward her, fear in his big hazel eyes. She wraps her arms around him and she can feel her trembling against him.

"There you are," she chides softly, "you shouldn't have run off like that." Unexpectedly, they hear a cruel voice in the distance.

"_Leonora_," it calls out. Elena begins running away from the noise, holding Jeremy tight to her chest as the voice calls out to her once again. Trees and vines begin to rip at her dress as she falls to the ground, protecting Jeremy from the fall with her arms. When she stands up again, Klaus is standing a few feet away.

"Leonora! Leonora...your Imperial Highness" the rotting corpse mockingly bows to her. "Look at what ten years has done to us. You are a beautiful young flower and me, a rotting undead corpse."

Elena's face transforms from fear into one of horror. "That face!" she cries.

"We met at a party like this one..." Klaus smirks at her, "a curse, and a tragic night on the ice. REMEMBER!" he attacks her with a glowing green wave of dark energy that covers the entire expanse of the river behind her and even covering the other side. Everything turns to ice and Elena shivers in fear.

"Klaus!" Elena cries, remembering who the undead man standing in front of her is.

"Klaus!" the man mocks her cry of terror. "Hmm, hmm. Destroy by your despicable family!" He spits the words out and she cringes, pulling Jeremy closer to her. "But what comes around goes around and around and around." He raises the relic again and his glowing green minions begin ripping and tearing at her the blood red ball gown. They push her closer to the edge of the bridge and instantly disappear.

Tyler, who has been watching from the nose of one of the stone animal statues, shakes his head. "You're on your own, sir! This can only end in tears!" He flies off without looking back.

"I'm not afraid of you!" Elena calls bravely, fisting her hands at her sides.

Klaus cackles. "I can fix that!" he answers her. "Would you care for a little swim… under the ice?" He begins to break the bridge with the power of the vial. Elena screams as she clings to the side of the bridge, her hand the only thing saving her from the iced over river below. She tries to pull herself up but isn't strong enough and she screams as a metal bar pushes into her side. She slides down the slowly crumbling side of the bridge as it hangs by only small pieces of metal.

"Say your prayers, Leonora!" he grins gleefully, almost at the point of clapping his hands together. "No one can save you, now!" He cackles again and Elena really wishes she could get up and punch his lights out.

"WANNA BET!?' a familiar voice screams in anger as a black shadow launches itself at the rotting man. A flash is all Elena can see of the punch before Klaus is on the ground and the shadow is diving to save her.

"Damon!" she cries out in relief, trying to keep herself steady as she grips what little she can. Her hand slips and she screams as she falls but a warm hand wraps around her own and she's dangling over the water with her savior clinging to her. "If we live through this," she calls to him, "remind me to thank—"

The raven haired man cuts her off with a shake of his head as he tells her, "You can thank me later."

"How very sweet…" Klaus teases, "together for the very last time!" He's laughing again before he sends another burst of dark magic from the vial to the statue of a Pegasus, bringing it to life with glowing green eyes. Elena screams as Damon's hand is torn from her own as he is carried by a burst of power onto the back of the evil statue, where he hangs on for dear life.

"No!" Elena screams again in horror. The Pegasus knocks Damon off of it and he lands on his back as it begins to attack him with sharp hooves. He tries to get away, but is unsuccessful.

"Ow! Hey!" he calls out in pain as it attacks him.

"Damon!" she can't help herself from reaching for him, even as it makes her slip even further to her death.

"Elena, look out!" Damon tries to warn her that Klaus is about to grab her but it is too late. The corpse grabs her by her long brown hair and she whimpers at the pain.

"_Dasvidaniya_, Princess Leonora," he cackles, dropping her down the bridge. However, she manages to grab hold of the edge.

"Elena, hang on!" Damon yells, fearing for his secret lover's life as he fights to get away from the possessed Pegasus.

"Finally, the last heir to the Mysterian throne is dead!" Klaus cackles in glee. Jeremy begins biting at his leg so he shoots the small dog with a blast of power from the vial. Then he turns to see Elena gone, and thinks she has fallen into the water.

"No!" Damon cries in agony, his undead heart breaking. "Elena! No!" he rushes to the edge of the bridge only to be picked up and thrown by the Pegasus again.

"Long Live the Mysterian Royalty!" Klaus sneers at the water.

"All right!" Elena shouts and Klaus spins around to see her alive and unharmed. "I couldn't have said it better myself!" She launches herself at Klaus and they fall to the ground in a fight to get ahold of the vial. Just then, Jeremy flies by and grabs the vial from his hands. However, Klaus clipped him on the leg and he falls to the ground, his leg broken. He howls in pain. The vial rolls away from him and comes to a halt right at Elena's feet.

She smiles and steps down on it with the heel of her shoes. As she does, the Pegasus explodes in a green glow and large clumps of stone. One of them hits Damon and his head twists sickeningly to the side with a force to kill any creature. He falls to the ground and does not move again. She growls and turns back to the situation at hand. "This is for Damon!" She stomps down once on the vial, ignoring Klaus' protests to stop. "This is for my family!" The vial cracks even more under the pressure of her heel. "And this...this is for you!" She cracks the glass a final time and it shatters. "_Dasvidanya_!"

A bright light comes from the relic and the dark powers inside are released. Klaus is on his knees when he too begins to help and his bones begin to disintegrate into the wind when they surrounded by the power he once sold his soul for. She rushes to Damon and covers his body with her own, whimpering softly as she buries her face into his hair as she is bombarded with small shards of rock. The only thing left are small bits of bone left to be blow away in the wind. Klaus is gone for good.

Elena takes a moment to soak in the fact that she is alive and she feels a soft wind blowing her hair back from her face as she sits up, cradling Damon's face in her hands. She turns him on his back and begins to slowly sob. 'Damon?" she calls out to him. Her mind is racing, hoping that he is alive, and she buries her head in her hands, crying out for her lover. Jeremy howls beside her and she doesn't even notice as his fur begins to glow softly.

However, Damon groans and slowly begins to move to sit up. Elena gasps and quickly turns to him, accidentally slapping him on the cheek. "Ouch!" he cradles his cheek in his hand.

"DAMON!" she screams as she hugs him tightly to her.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!" he cries out in pain. "Let go, let go!" He hasn't fed since they got to Paris and he feels weak from the blood loss. She pulls away from him and grimaces as she notices his other wounds aren't healing.

"Sorry," she whispers softly, looking away from him with teary eyes.

"Yeah, I know, I know," Damon grumbles, "'All men are babies.'" He groans and clutches his side.

"I thought you were going to Mystic—" she begins but he cuts her off.

"I was."

"You didn't take the—"

"I couldn't."

"Why?' she whispers as she finally notices how close their faces are.

"Because, I—" he starts but she puts her finger on his lips, quieting him, and they both lean in to kiss. Suddenly, there is a bright glow and Elena covers her eyes, looking away before turning back.

Standing in front of her is a tall man with chestnut brown hair and hazel eyes. He has a huge smile on his face as he looks down at his hands before patting down his own body. Tilting his head to the side, he notices the two lovers blinking up at him. "Elena…?" his voice is rough from disuse.

"Jer, what…?" she can hardly say anything but he shakes his head and hands Damon the tiara, his eyes flashing a warning not to hurt the woman. The raven haired man sighs and helps her stand, looking between her and the tiara.

"They're waiting for you," he hands her the tiara with a pained look in his sapphire eyes. She takes the tiara from him and nods, but as she looks at the man who used to be a dog, he nods to her in understanding.

* * *

Katherine gasps as she sees a familiar looking young man walking into her home. Without the thought of looking unladylike, she rushes down the hallway to greet her younger brother. "Jeremy!' she cries. "You're alive!" She pulls him into a tight hug. "What happened to you?"

"Emily, the family witch, turned me into a dog to mask my scent from Klaus and his minions. As time went on, she left me for the other world." He runs a hand thru his hair and sighs. "Her daughter was very kind to me and we did a spell that could track Leonora thru her necklace. I have been with her ever since she left the orphanage they put her in." He pats his older sister on the arm as she hugs him tightly again.

"But now, Leonora has made her choice and I must give you this," he pulls something out from behind his back and the Dowager Empress gasps. She takes the tiara from her hands, along with a short letter. She puts the royal tiara in its special place near the window and unfolds the letter. It does not have many words, but it brings tears to her eyes all the same.

"_Dear Sister,_

_Wwish me luck. _

_We'll be together in Paris again soon._" There is no signature but Katherine smiles none-the-less and she turns just in time to see Jenna's face break out into a smile.

"They've eloped!" she cries out in happiness, wiping a tear from her eye. She feels an arm wrap around her and she looks up to see Alaric smiling down at her. She presses a happy kiss to his chin. "Isn't it romantic?" she asks watching as both Katherine and Jeremy nod. Whatever their sister had decided, they would have loved her either way. "It's a perfect ending."

"No," Katherine shakes her head as she watches fireworks erupt over the Eiffel Tower, "it's a perfect beginning." There is a huge smile on her face and she wipes a tear from her own eyes.

* * *

On the departing ship, Elena and Damon begin to dance under the stars. Damon twirls her around and she spins out and into him. He presses his lips to hers in a feverent manor and she returns it in kind. A real dog, the same kind to replace Jeremy, stands on the stairs with his longer than normal ears covering his eyes. He peeks out between his ears and whines. Elena laughs and picks him up cradling him to her chest before Damon wraps his arms around her and they sway together with the movement of the ship before she puts him down.

Damon swoops down to press another kiss to Elena's lip, this one much gentler than before. She squeals and laughs in surprise as he picks her up bridal style and she continues to laugh joyously when he spins her around in his arms.

It is a beautiful happily ever after.

**So this is the final chapter of Leonora! Imagine the dance at the end to be the one they do in front of the fire, but a little less intense. But do not worry, it will not be the last Delena Princess Story. As I said in the summary, it is only Book 1 and there will be seven books. Please don't forget to review, and vote if you haven't! You can find the next Book under CinderElena...  
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**P.S. Check out the dresses on my profile.  
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